July 18, 2025: Isaiah 49:24-25 - I Will Save Thy Children

“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” - Isaiah 49:24-25

Ever since God called Israel to be His special people to bring glory to Himself and to bring forth Messiah, Jesus Christ - the only one from whom salvation from sins can come - people have been trying to eliminate them. They kill them, they take their people captive, and this continues to this day, as we well know with some Israelis still being held captive by the militant group, Hamas since the horrible day of October 7, 2023. When God called Israel to be His people and before He brought them out of Egypt by His mighty hand and into the land that He was going to give them, He tells us in His own word that when He chose Israel, it wasn’t because of anything about them but about HIM:

“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people [set apart] unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen [slavery], from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.” (Deuteronomy 7:6-10)

“Hear, O Israel, Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced [fortified] up to heaven, a people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee. Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For [Because of] my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform [fulfill] the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked [stubborn or rebellious] people.” (Deuteronomy 9:1-6)

God reminded them of the oath, the unconditional covenant, He had made with their forefathers, which originated with Abram, whom God renamed to Abraham; his son, Isaac, from his wife Sarah; and his son, Jacob, whom God renamed to Israel. It was from Jacob whom God raised the twelve tribes of Israel. It would be from one of these twelve tribes, the tribe of Judah, that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ, would come and would be a blessing unto all families of the earth, for He offers salvation from sin by His precious blood:

“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)

Ever since God called Israel to be a special people for Himself and that all families of the earth will be blessed through them, people have been trying to curse and eliminate them. I want to read from the book of Numbers when Balak, the king of Moab, saw the people of Israel as they were being led by Moses, having left Egypt many years prior, walking in the wilderness, before God would let them enter the Promised Land that He had given them when He made His unconditional covenant with Abraham. When the children of Israel came upon the land of the Amorites, they sent messengers to Sihon, their king, saying:

“Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will to drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king’s high way, until we be past thy borders.” (Numbers 21:22)

However, Sihon refused to let them pass through and instead gathered his people together and went to war against Israel. The people of Israel killed him and possessed all of their cities, including Heshbon, and all their villages. Balak had seen what had happened to Sihon. Balak had also seen that when Israel afterward went into the land of Bashan, Og, the king of Bashan, went with all of his people against Israel and what had happened to him and his people:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt as Heshbon. So they smote [struck] him, and his son, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land. And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched [camped] in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.” (Numbers 21:34-22:1)

Balak saw that the people of Israel were great in number, and knowing what had happening to the kings of Sihon and Og, he felt threatened by their presence. Balak sent his messengers to a man named Balaam, the son of Beor, who lived in Pethor, to hire him so that Balaam would put a curse on the people of Israel. While I have written about Balaam before in prior devotionals, there is a prophecy in Numbers that directly ties back to the prophecy that Jacob had made in Genesis, which we previously read about in my devotional on Isaiah 49:23. Thus, I again want to write about what transpired between Balak and Balaam. First, let us read that Balak decided to ally his land with the Midianites and send messengers to Balaam, who was a wicked prophet and a diviner. I encourage you to read an article from gotquestions.org that explains what divination is and that the Bible forbids us from practicing any form of it. (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-divination.html) Let us also read what Balak’s messengers said to Balaam when they came to him and brought with them rewards of divination, meaning they would give Balaam rewards if he did what Balak asked him to do, which was to curse the children of Israel:

“And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up [consume] all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river [The Euphrates] of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against [are settling next to] me: Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure [perhaps] I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot [know] that he whom thou blessed is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination [diviner’s fee] in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.” (Numbers 22:4-7)

Balaam told the men to stay the night there with him and that he would tell them what God would tell him to do. God then questioned Balaam about the men, and Balaam told Him why they had come and about Balak’s request of Balaam. Then:

“And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” (Numbers 22:12)

Because I have written about this previously, I won’t go into all of the details about what transpired next, but I will discuss certain events that happened. The next morning, Balaam told the men that God refused to let him go with them. The men returned to Balak and told him what had happened. Balak then sent his men again to Balaam, but this time, they promised even more rewards to Balaam if he would curse the people of Israel. Balaam responded that even if Balak gave him his house full of silver and gold, he could not go beyond the word of God. However, as before, Balaam opened the door of temptation instead of shutting it, and had them spend the night with him so that he could again ask God what to do. Balaam knew what God had told him previously, which was not to go with the men, but in his heart, Balaam was hoping that God would change His mind. Let us read what happened next:

“And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.” (Numbers 22:20)

We are not told that the men did call upon Balaam, but he went with them anyway, riding upon his ass (donkey). This caused God to be very angry with him, and God sent His angel with his sword drawn to block the way of the ass. Balaam got mad at the ass and started hitting her. Then the ass started talking to him! “And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28) What is even more strange is Balaam talked back to her! God sometimes uses everything He can to get our attention. God then opened Balaam’s eyes so that he could see “the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.” (Numbers 22:31) The angel of the LORD asked Balaam why he had struck his ass three times and told Balaam that he was trying to stop him from going “because thy way is perverse [contrary] before me.” (Numbers 22:32) Balaam then acknowledged that he had sinned and said he did not know it was the angel who had blocked his way. He said he would return home if that is what he should do. Then:

“And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.” (Numbers 22:35)

When Balaam arrived, Balak came out and met him and asked Balaam why he hadn’t come the first time that Balak had sent his men to get him:

“And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.” (Numbers 22:38)

The next day, Balak took Balaam to the high places of Baal, which is where Balak worshipped his false gods. Balaam told him to build seven altars and take seven oxen and seven rams. Then Balak was to take an ox and a ram and offer them on each one of the seven altars. “And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure [perhaps] the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.” (Numbers 23:3) God did talk to Balaam and gave him the words to speak to Balak. Balaam then returned to Balak:

“And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust [dust cloud] of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me [my soul] die the death of the righteous, and let my last end by like his!” (Numbers 23:7:10)

Can you imagine the look on Balak’s face when he heard the words that Balaam had just spoken to him? Balak replied to Balaam, “…What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.” (Numbers 32:11) Balaam reminded him that he could only speak the words that God gave him to speak. One would think that at this point, Balak would have given up on trying to bring a curse upon Israel, but he was only getting started. Balak told Balaam to go with him to a different high place of false god worship, where Balaam could see only the outer part of Israel and not all of the people of Israel, and that he could curse them there. Once again, seven altars were built and an offering of a bull and a ram were made on each altar. After the offering, Balaam told Balak to stay by the burnt offering while he would go and talk to God. Once again, God gave the words to Balaam to speak to Balak. Balaam returned to Balak a second time:

“And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness [trouble] in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment [sorcery or enchantment] against Jacob, neither is there any divination [fortune-telling] against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.” (Numbers 23:18-24)

Though Balaam was a shady man, he did speak the truth of God and told Balak that God doesn’t go back on His word; He does what He says He will do. I want to pause here a little while to note that there are some exceptions to this truth, and that is when God tells us when we are sinning that He will send judgment upon us, but when we turn away from our sins and turn to Him, then He withholds the judgment that He had planned to put upon us. God promises judgment because of sin, but when a person or a group of people change their ways, God has, in several times in the Bible, withheld judgment, which we in our own understanding consider it as God repenting. One example is after Moses had led Israel out of Egypt, he had gone up to Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God and the two tablets, upon which the Ten Commandments had been engraved by the finger of God. After Moses had been on the mountain 40 days, the people of Israel grew restless and began to doubt God’s promises to them. They decided to make a golden calf and worship it instead of God. God was very angry with Israel, and He told Moses that He would destroy them and instead, would make a great nation of Moses. Before continuing with this example, I want to remind us that God knew that Israel would do what they did before they did it, and yet, God still created them to be His own special people. God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Let us read what God said to Moses:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked [stubborn] people: now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume [destroy] them: and I will make of thee a great nation.” (Exodus 32:7-10)

Before continuing, let us ponder what we just read. I think, in a way, this was a test for Moses. Here was a man, who through the power of Almighty God, had just led God’s people out of Egypt through the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, after having sent ten plagues upon the Pharaoh of Egypt. Now, here God was telling Moses that Israel had so quickly turned against Him by worshipping false gods. God had just told Moses that He wanted to destroy them and instead make of Moses a great nation. How many of us, myself included, would have said something like, “To heck with these people, for they have turned against You, O God! Destroy them!” I think many of us would in fact say something like that. How many of us would have been tempted into having a great nation be made from us instead? How many of us would have let our own ego and pride lead us and not our faith in God? Let us now read Moses’ response to God:

“And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief [harm] did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil [relent from this harm] against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.” (Exodus 32:11-13)

Here was a humble man, reminding God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. This reminds me of what Jesus has done for us, being the mediator between us and God, as written by the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” I think what Moses did on behalf of Israel is a picture of the coming Christ. Moses was willing to intervene for Israel, who had sinned against God, just as Jesus has intervened for us, even though we have all sinned against Him time and time again.

A second example of a time when God repented is written in the book of Jonah. Ninevah was the capital city of Assyria, and its people were extremely wicked, so much so that the book begins by saying:

“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it [cry out]; for their wickedness is come up before me.” (Jonah 1:1-2)

The Ninevites were a long-time enemy of Israel. Gotquestions.org has an interesting article about the city. (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Nineveh-in-the-Bible.html) The prophet Jonah knew all about Nineveh, and he did not want to go where God told him to go. He thought he could outsmart God, and instead of going to Nineveh, he boarded a ship headed for Tarshish. However, God sent a mighty and terrible wind that wreaked havoc on the ship and those on board it. When the people on the ship were full of fear and found Jonah sound asleep, they came confronted him:

“Then they said to him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil [trouble] is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto them, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.” (Jonah 1:8-10)

Jonah told the people on board the ship that the reason the winds came was because he was on the ship, and in order for the winds to stop, they must throw him off the ship. They were hesitant at first and tried something else, but when that did not work and they feared for their lives, they reluctantly threw him off the ship and asked God to forgive them and not charge them with his death. The Bible tells us that the men feared God greatly and offered Him a sacrifice and made vows. (Jonah 1:16) Knowing that Jonah would be thrown off the ship, God had prepared a great fish, and it swallowed him up, “and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17) Jonah prayed to God during that time, probably with more fervor than he had ever prayed. Let us read what he prayed while in the belly of the fish:

“Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard [answered] me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth [deep] closed me round about, thy weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about [closed behind] me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption [the pit], O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities [worthless idols] forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” (Jonah 2:1-9)

Jonah had been running from God, and God put him in a place where he could run no more. I must admit that I can empathize with Jonah because he had heard all about the wickedness of the Ninevites in Assyria, and he did not want to go there and speak against their wickedness. But God had called him to do that, and God would make sure that he did it, no matter what it took. I think out of all the accounts in the Bible, this one is probably one that people mock and scoff at the most. I ask them: is anything impossible for God, the One who created the heavens, the earth, and the seas and all that is in them? Was it too difficult for God to create a fish that swallowed Jonah up when he was thrown off the ship? Was it too difficult for God to keep Jonah alive in the belly of that fish for three days and nights? The answer is a resounding NO!

Jonah’s prayer is a perfect example of how no matter where we are and while we are still alive, God hears our prayers to Him and will save us. How many of us have felt like Jonah, as though we have been swallowed up in our sin, with the depths of the waters billowing over our heads? Like Jonah, how many of us during our own storms of life cried out to God to save us, and He did? How many of us realized that He is faithful and wants us to call out to Him so that He, and only He, can save us?

Notice in Jonah’s prayer that he said he would sacrifice to God “with the voice of thanksgiving,” and that is what God wants us to do. He doesn’t want our rituals; no, He wants to worship Him with our hearts and to be thankful to Him. God indeed heard Jonah’s prayer: “And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” (Jonah 2:10) God spoke to Jonah a second time and told him to go to Nineveh and tell them the words He would tell Jonah to speak to them. This time, Jonah obeyed God.

Upon arriving, Jonah said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” (Jonah 2:4) Surprisingly, at least to me, the people of Nineveh “believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” (Jonah 3:5-6) The king even caused not only the people to fast but also the animals, and the king told them:

“But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?” (Jonah 3:8-9)

That is absolutely amazing to me that the entire Gentile city, including the king, turned away from their sins and turned to God. Let us read what happened next:

“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” (Jonah 3:10)

Before continuing with another account of when God repented, I want to mention the repeated occurrence of the phrase “three days” in the Bible, including specifically and more narrowly, the phrase “three days and three nights.” There is a connection between the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection and the account of Jonah. Before Jesus was crucified, He was speaking with scribes and the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders, who accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, a Philistine false god, instead of by the Spirit of God. Let us read some of what transpired between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees:

“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I [Jesus] say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master [Teacher], we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas [Greek for “Jonah”]: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly [belly of the great fish]; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” (Matthew 13:

Because the scribes and Pharisees absolutely refused to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and is the Messiah whom God sent to offer salvation to them, He told them they would be judged on the day of judgment by what they said. When we refuse the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, we are judged for our works or our deeds, and that includes every evil word we have spoken. They asked Him for a sign, and Jesus told them the only sign was the sign of the prophet Jonah. That sign was that Jonah had warned the people of Nineveh that God’s judgment was going to fall upon them in forty days if they did not repent, and surprisingly, they did repent. However, the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus was speaking to had not repented, they failed to heed the sign God had given them long ago by the prophet Jonah, and they failed to heed the words of One greater than Jonah, the One they were speaking to: Jesus Christ. They were bringing judgment upon their own heads, for their pride was a huge stumbling block, like Mt. Everest, that was between them and Jesus. Just as the scribes and Pharisees let their pride keep them from putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to save them from their sins, so too do many people in our world today, both Jew and Gentile, let their pride keep them from being saved. It is so very sad to see this happen, but it is their choice, and Jesus Christ forces no one to believe in Him as their Savior.

I thank and praise God that He was willing to spare the Ninevites, who were extremely wicked, and that He is to this day willing to spare wicked people, myself included, from destruction if they will turn from their wicked ways and turn to Him! Let us read a similar statement regarding God being willing to repent from the destruction He was going to bring to the men of Judah and Jerusalem that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the them, when God compared them to clay in the hands of God, as the potter:

“The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels [Potter’s wheel]. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred [ruined] in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.” (Jeremiah 18:1-8)

God knows every single thing we will do before we do it, but He still gives us an opportunity to turn away from our sins and to turn to Him in faith and be saved. We are no different from the people of Israel, including Judah and Jerusalem, and the people of Nineveh, who worshipped false gods. While our sins may be different from theirs, we have ALL sinned, and we ALL need to turn from our sins and turn to God, the One true God, and believe in Him for salvation of our sins.

What Balaam said to Balak about God not repenting is true when the people refuse to turn from their wicked ways and refuse to turn to Him; they choose sin over God. Though Nineveh did turn from its sins and turned to God for 100 years after Jonah told them what God said to tell them, the people of Nineveh returned to their sin. At that point, God sent His righteous judgment upon them and sent Babylon to completely destroy the capital city of Assyria. Nahum wrote about it in the book of Nahum:

“The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth [avenges], and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Nahum 1:1-3)

“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning [overflowing] flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. What do ye imagine [conspire] against the LORD? he will make an utter end [end of it]: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden [tangled] together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” (Nahum 1:7-11)

Though they previously had been warned by God, the people of Nineveh returned to their wickedness. Consequently, they were destroyed in 612 BC. Per gotquestions.org: (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Nineveh-in-the-Bible.html)

“Although Nineveh escaped destruction during the time of Jonah, a later generation still had to face a reckoning. The prophet Nahum prophesied of the destruction of the city because of the people’s evilness. Nahum’s predictions for Nineveh’s destruction came to pass when the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians sacked the city in 612 BC. Nineveh’s walls had been breached by flood waters, allowing their attackers to enter the city. The city’s ruin was ultimately a product of God’s divine wrath (Nahum 1:8–10). The Lord declared judgment on the city because of Nineveh’s wickedness: “Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!” (Nahum 3:1).”

In the words of warning from God, as spoken to the people of Nineveh by Nahum the prophet, I hear a lot of similarities between the characteristics of the people of Nineveh and the people of the United States. I fear that just as the people of Nineveh were full of vile and filth, so too have Americans become full of pride and arrogance in our filth and vileness, and I believe America is ripe for the judgment of Almighty God, just as He judged Nineveh. Let us read some of what Nahum wrote to Assyria, the capital city of Nineveh:

“Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not…” (Nahum 3:1)

“Because of the multitude of the whoredoms [harlotries, spiritual unfaithfulness] of the well-favoured [seductive] harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts [sorceries], that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover [lift] thy skirts upon [over] thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock [spectacle]. And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?” (Nahum 3:4-7)

Returning to the account of Balaam and Balak and the words that Balaam spoke to Balak in Numbers 23:18-24, as Balaam correctly spoke to Balak, “Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.” (Numbers 23:20) Balaam went on to say, “Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!” (Numbers 23:23)

When Balak had sent his men to Balaam, Balak wanted Balaam to curse Israel and was willing to give him “rewards of divination” if he did so. What does this mean? First, we must understand the meaning of an enchanter and a diviner. An enchanter is one who cast spells or puts curses upon someone, and it is through the power of Satan and not of God. A diviner is one who looks to foresee the future through dark powers, through Satan and not of God. The Bible forbids the practices of enchantment and divination (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:10). There were people back then who practiced these acts of occultism, and people still to this day are doing it. Some examples are fortune tellers, Tarot cards, the New Age Movement, and recently, it has infiltrated apostate churches and Bible study groups that use the enneagram personality test, that has its roots in occultism. Gotquestions.org has two good articles explaining enchantment and divination and how any why God forbids them. As they noted, oftentimes the usage of drugs or potions are used in a practice known as sorcery. The Greek word “pharmakeia” is translated to “sorcery,” and it is from the Greek word that we get the English word, “pharmacy,” which includes the manufacturing and dispensing of both illicit and prescribed drugs. As gotquestions.org notes, it is written in the book of Revelation that people refuse to repent from their sorceries (Revelation 9:21) and that Babylon is destroyed because she deceived all nations with her sorceries (Revelations 18:23) (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-enchantment.html, https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-divination.html) God is very clear in His word that we are to avoid these things, and yet, people still to this day do not heed His words to us.

Returning to what Balaam said to Balak, God told Balaam to tell Balak that there is no enchantment or divination against Israel; there was no curse upon them. Instead, people should be saying of Jacob, meaning the people of Israel that the king of Moab had seen: “What hath God wrought!” The king of Moab should have been in awe of what God had done instead of trying to put a curse upon them and subsequently have them killed. But, that wasn’t the case with the king of Moab., and that certainly is not the case in our world today.

Balaam then told Balak something that I wrote about in my prior devotional from Isaiah 49:23. The words that Balaam spoke next to Balak were nearly the same words that Jacob spoke to his twelve sons before he died, and specifically to his son, Judah. Let us compare them to see the similarities between the two:

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped [crouches] down, he couched [lies down] as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk (Genesis 49:8-12)

“Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.” (Numbers 23:24)

I believe that these are prophecies that refer to the first coming of Jesus, His death, and His resurrection, when Jesus lifted up Himself, meaning He resurrected Himself. Jesus even said this would happen before it happened:

“And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge [whip] of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew [overturned] the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear [raise] it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” (John 2:13-22)

After Jesus resurrected Himself and walked and lived on the earth for 40 days, He ascended to heaven. I believe the latter part of the verses above from Genesis and Numbers are also prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled and will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to earth at the end of the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, also known as the tribulation period. At that time, He will put an end to all wickedness upon the earth and destroy all the nations that come against Israel, and He will save the remnant of Israel. Afterwards, He will reign on earth from Jerusalem for 1,000-years with a rod of iron. There will be people who will survive the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble and who will live during the 1,000-year reign of Jesus and who will still sin. There will also be people who survive the tribulation period who do not believe in Jesus and follow false gods. However, because Jesus will be reigning, He simply will not tolerate sin at all, unlike how it is tolerated today. Consequently, it will be a time of rest (Hebrews 4:1-11). Let us read a little of how the Millennial reign of Jesus is described:

“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in [on] the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth [the lame], and I will gather her that is driven out [the outcast], and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted [the lame] a remnant, and her that was cast far off [the outcast] a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first [former] dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:1-8)

In the latter part of what we just read, it tells us that a remnant of Israel, the outcast of the world, will be saved and will become a strong nation. There is something very interesting in what else these Scriptures say, and I believe we must look at the Hebrew text in order to fully understand and connect the meaning. In the Scriptures above it says, “In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation.” (Micah 4:6-7) I was interested in what the words “halteth” and “halted” mean. The Authorized King James Version of the Bible that I have has a note that refers to these words as “the lame.” However, when you look at the Strong’s Hebrew text, it says this: (See: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6760.htm)

“A primitive root: probably to curve; used only as denominative from tsela', to limp (as if one-sided) -- halt.”

After just having written about this in my prior devotional on Isaiah 49:23, I remember reading in Genesis 32 when Jacob was deeply worried about his coming reunion with his brother Esau, fearing that Esau might try to kill him and his family. While going to meet up with Esau, Jacob had sent all of his family and servants away from him, and he was left all alone one night. All night long, Jacob wrestled with God. It was there that Jacob saw God face to face, and he called the place “Peniel,” also spelled “Penuel,” which means “Face of God.” It was there that we read:

“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched [struck] the hollow [socket] of his thigh [hip]; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [Prince with God]: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh [limped on his hip]. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched [struck] the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew [muscle] that shrank.” (Genesis 32:24-32)

These passages of Scripture clearly connect what is written about in Micah 4:6-7 to Jacob. It was Jacob whom God renamed to “Israel,” and it was from Jacob that the twelve tribes of Israel would be born! Thus, there is no doubt at all that “the remnant” spoken of in Micah 4 is Israel. God’s word is simply amazing, and the more I study it, the more I am amazed at how it all connects! As Micah 4 tells us, it will be Jesus Christ who will save the remnant of Israel, who will be the outcast of the world; in Israel’s weakness, Jesus will make them strong.

There is another place in the Bible speaks of this that is similar to what is written in Micah 4:6-7 regarding Israel being “her that halteth,” and which connects to Genesis 32:24-32:

“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 and poor [gentle and humble] 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 evil [fear disaster] any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack [be 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. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn [appointed] assembly, who are of thee, 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 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 and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity [return your captives] before your eyes, saith the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3:11-20)

There is something else that is interesting in Micah 5 that connects to the prophecy spoken of not only by Balaam in Numbers 23:24 but also Jacob regarding the people of Israel being a lion. Let us read from Micah 5:

“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)

Returning to Balaam and Balak, we can clearly see from Scripture how the prophecies of Balaam connect back to what Jacob had spoken to his son, Judah. Though Balaam was a wicked prophet, for he was motivated not by God but by money, he did in fact speak the truth of God. It was God’s will that Balaam would speak the truth, and God would not allow him to curse Israel. After Balaam spoke the words to Balak that we read about from Numbers 23:18-24, let us read what Balak then said to Balaam and Balaam’s response to him:

“And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?” (Numbers 23:25-26)

Do you think that Balak finally realized that there was no way God would allow Balaam to curse Israel? That Balak would leave Balaam and go on his way? No, Balak was not ready to give up yet. This is what sin does: it makes you stupid. Instead of giving up, once again, he told Balaam to go with him to yet another high place of false god worship so that Balaam could curse Israel from there. Once again, Balaam told Balak to build seven altars and sacrifice a bull and a ram on each one of them. Once again, Balak did as Balaam instructed him to do. Then we are told that something different happened to Balaam that had not had happened the previous two times. I want to read and discuss Numbers chapter 24 in its entirety because it is profound in what it says:

“And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments [to use sorcery or enchantments], but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open [opened] hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: how goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.” (Numbers 24:1-9)

Once again, the words of Balaam and nearly the exact same words that Jacob spoke as he blessed his son Judah, the tribe from whom Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come! Once again, the words of Balaam did not curse Israel but blessed Israel. Continuing in Numbers 24:

“And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak? And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite [shatter the forehead] of the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth [sons of tumult]. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion [shall rule], and shall destroy him that remaineth in the city. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of [among] the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this? And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim [Cyprus], and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever. And Balam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.” (Numbers 24:10-25)

Balaam was given the words of God to speak to Balak. Though he was a wicked prophet, he spoke the truth of God, and he foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, the Star out of Jacob and the Sceptre that would rise out of Israel. There is coming a day when Jesus will return to earth and destroy all who come against His people, Israel, and He will take dominion over the entire earth for 1,000 years, just as prophesied by Balaam. Again, the prophecies of Jacob to his son, Judah, mirror the prophecies spoken of by Balaam. Let us compare them:

“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (Genesis 49:10)

“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17)

“Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth in the city.” (Numbers 24:19)

Finally, we read that Balak gave up his quest to have Balaam curse Israel, and he and Balaam departed ways. However, Balaam still wanted to obtain the rewards of divination that Balak had promised to give him if he cursed Israel. Because Balaam’s wicked heart cared more about his temporary comforts here on earth more than his eternal security in God, he found a different way to curse Israel, and that was through the daughters of Moab. It was not only the daughters of Moab, but also the Midianite women. We read about this in Numbers chapter 25:

“And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom [harlotry] with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one of his men that were joined unto Baal-peor. And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.” (Numbers 25:1-9)

We read in the book of Deuteronomy that at some point in time, God had commanded Moses not to go to war with the Moabites:

“And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.” (Deuteronomy 2:9)

This might explain why after the Moabite and Midianite women had seduced the men of Israel and God had ordered all the Israelite men who had sexual intercourse with them and worshipped their false gods to be killed, that God ordered Moses to avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites, to go to war with them, as opposed to the Moabites, as we read in the Scriptures below. Another possible reason may be that after his death, Moses was buried in the land of Moab and God did not want the land to be further defiled. Another possible reason might be that many years later, a woman named Ruth, a Moabite woman, would arise and who would be a descendant of Jesus. Whatever the reasons, God told Moses not to war with the Moabites, and Moses obeyed God.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.” (Numbers 31:1-6)

The men of Israel went to war the Midianites, and they killed all the men. They took the women and children captive, and plundered and burnt their cities. When they brought the Midianite captives to Moses and to Eleazar the priest, Moses was angry with them:

“And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known may by lying [intimately] with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.” (Numbers 31:15-17)

What is written above is hard to read regarding the killing of the male children. However, it demonstrates a couple of key points. God doesn’t play around when it comes to causing Israel to stumble in sin. Regarding the male children of the women, I am not God and I do not know His exact reasons for having them killed. However, I do know that God is only good. I surmise that it might be because if God spared them, as they grew, they would be very bitter for what God did to their fathers and mothers and very likely would have gone after Israel in revenge. Gotquestions.org has an article about this that I recommend reading. (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Numbers-31-17-Midianites.html) I also recommend another of their articles that discusses the possible reasons as to why God spared the virgin women. (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Midianite-virgins.html)

Balaam would not survive because of what he had done to the people of Israel. He was killed when God told Moses to go and avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites, who had allied themselves with the Moabites. The book of Joshua also records Balaam’s death:

“And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.” (Numbers 31:7-8)

“Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer [diviner] did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.” (Joshua 13:22)

This is the account of Balaam. Though he spoke the truth of God because it was God Himself who would not let Balaam pronounce a curse upon the children of Israel whom He had delivered out of Egypt, in the end, the wicked prophet found himself accursed when his evil actions came back upon himself. If it were up to Balaam, he would have cursed the children of Israel with his mouth so that he could receive his reward from Balak. But God did not let him curse Israel. None of the riches he might have received by causing Israel to fall into sin could save him. This is just one account of how God Himself keeps His promises to save His children and brought His wrath upon them that caused them to sin. It is very interesting to me that the account of Balak and Balaam is not only mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua, but also several times in the New Testament. While Balak was clear in his intentions, which was to curse Israel when he was threatened by them when they came near to the border of Moab, Balam pretended to be following what God had told him to do, but in his heart he was motivated by money and not the intentions of God. In the end, Balaam found a way to curse Israel that caused many people to die, and he likely earned the diviner’s fee that he cherished more than he cherished God. While Balaam might have fooled Balak, he couldn’t fool God. God knew that in Balaam’s heart, he was still seeking a way to prosper himself, even if it meant cursing Israel. God knew that Balaam blessed Israel with his lips but secretly cursed them with his heart because of his desire to obtain wealth. Consequently, God saw to it that Balaam would be killed by the children of Israel. It seems to me that God is trying to tell us very clearly that those who seek to curse and destroy Israel will see themselves accursed and destroyed. I believe in our modern day, we have not only many Balaks who seek to curse Israel but also Balaams, who bless Israel with their mouths but inwardly curse Israel, including in many so-called churches, in the highest office in the USA and sadly, in Israel as well. Let us read the other mentions of Balaam in the Bible:

“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.” (Deuteronomy 23:3-5)

“Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer [diviner], did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.” (Joshua 13:22)

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares [unnoticed], who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate [proper domain], but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication [sexual immorality], and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance [punishment] of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about [discussed] the body of Moses, durst [dared] not bring against him a railing [reviling] accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward [profit], and perished in the gainsaying [rebellion] of Core.” (Jude 11)

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac [Greek spelling for Balak] to cast a stumblingblock [put an enticement to sin] before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication [sexual immorality]. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving [except] he that receiveth it.” (Jesus Christ; Revelation 2:12-17)

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: but chiefly them that walk after [according to] the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government [authority]. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities [dignitaries]. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing [reviling] accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken [caught] and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; and shall receive the reward [wages] of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting [revelling in] themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling [enticing] unstable souls: an heart they have exercised [trained] with covetous practices; cursed children: which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor [Beor], who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad [restrained] the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist [gloom] of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean [indeed] escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in [into] bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:9-22)

In the New Testament Scriptures above, Jude, Jesus, and Peter are all speaking to professing believers in Jesus Christ. They are warning them, they are warning us, not to follow the way of Balaam, which was to profess God only with our lips but not with our hearts. It is sad to see that so many, many people in “churches” today are only seeking God because they want financial gain; they want the riches of this temporary world instead of the heavenly treasures of eternal life with Jesus. Time and time again, the Bible warns us to seek Him and not the things of this world. It clearly warns us about the love of money. Too many people in the world, and I would say especially in the USA that has grown accustomed to living in luxury, have put their faith and trust in Donald Trump to make them rich, to “Make America Great Again,” instead of realizing that the USA and our entire world is deep in sin and that we must turn away from sin and turn to Jesus Christ to avoid what the apostle Paul warns us about in the Scriptures below:

“But they that will be [desire to be] rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all [all kinds of] evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

There is another place in the Old Testament, also called the Hebrew Scriptures, that refer to the account of Balak and Balaam, and that is in the prophetic book of Micah, chapter 6. Before we read about that in chapter 6, As we read previously from Micah chapter 5 verses 7-9, God tells Israel that the remnant of Jacob will be surrounded by its enemies, whom Israel will defeat. However, they will not defeat them by their own power, for God will strip the remnant of Jacob of all its strength so that they must depend on Him on not on themselves. God also tells them that He will destroy all of Israel’s false gods:

“Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off [destroyed]. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off [destroy] thy 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 [Asherim, Canaanite deities] out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen [nations], such as they have not heard [obeyed].” (Micah 5:9-15)

The days that are described above have not come yet, but they will. In modern day Israel, we see that Israel is not trusting in God, because Israel as a whole, as a nation, has rejected their Messiah, their Christ, Jesus, who came to earth to offer salvation first to Israel but was rejected by His own. Jesus then turned His attention to the Gentiles, the non-Jewish nations, to provoke Israel to jealousy until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (Romans 11:11-27). As Israel has done many times over the span of time, it has turned away from God and is currently relying on its own power and strength. God clearly tells Israel in Micah chapter 5 that He will bring Israel to its knees, where it is no longer able to defend itself from its enemies that surround her. No longer will Israel be able to trust in its military might and strength, for it will all be brought to nothing. No longer will Israel turn to the USA to supply it with weapons, for God will destroy all of its military might. No longer will Israel be able to turn to its false gods, for God will destroy all of their false gods. It won’t be Israel that destroys their enemies; no, it will be God Himself. Now, let us read what God tells us in Micah chapter 6:

“Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou [plead your case] before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’s controversy [complaint], and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with [bring charges against] Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants [bondage]; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted [counselled], and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim [Acacia Grove] unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.: (Micah 6:1-5)

God clearly tells His people, the children of Israel, that He has a controversy with them and will bring charges against them. He asks them to tell Him what He did to them that caused them to act the way that they have. He reminds them that it was by His hand that He brought them out of bondage in Egypt, with Moses, Aaron, and Miriam leading the way. He asks them to remember that Balak had tried to curse them through the wicked prophet Balaam, but it was the words of Balaam, which were not spoken by his own will but by God’s will, that assured Balak that God would not curse His own people. God wants Israel, His own people, to hear His words, to ponder them, to consider them, and to turn to Him in faith, so that they may know His righteousness, and yet, time and time again, Israel has rejected Him.

Contrary to popular belief today, God has not cursed Israel, and God is not finished with Israel. As I continue writing this devotional message on June 13, 2025, in the early morning hours, Israel preemptively attacked Iran, fearing that Iran would use its nuclear weapons on Israel. As I write this, the world awaits the response of Iran, which has repeatedly vowed to destroy both Israel and the USA. On June 14, 2025, Iran has already sent at least two waves of missiles into Israel, with damage occurring in Tel Aviv. Iran has repeatedly vowed to destroy both Israel and the USA. Israel is promising more attacks against Iran if it continues to fire missiles into Israel. As I still continue writing and editing this devotional message, on June 22, 2025, Donald Trump ordered the US military to attack three of Iran’s nuclear sites. The next day, Iran attacked a US military base in Qatar with missiles, as well as sending more missiles into Israel. I believe this back-and-forth between Iran, Israel, and the USA is mostly political theater in order to create instability in the world, such as what happened during the Obama Administration during what is known as the “Arab Spring.” Global leaders want war, but pretend publicly that they want peace.

I believe there is quickly coming a time when the majority of the countries in the world will cry out for “peace and safety,” and intense pressure will be put upon Israel to agree to peace at any cost, not only with Iran but also with Hamas in the long Gaza war between it and Israel that began on October 7, 2023. I have already heard many world leaders say that Israel needs to end the war with Hamas, and on June 14, 2025 and many times since then, President Trump is saying that the war must end. To achieve this “peace,” I believe Israel will agree to divide its land, which is the land that God gave to Israel, not to any other nation on earth. On June 26, 2025, it was reported by the Times of Israel that Israel, “for its part, would express its support for a future two-state solution, conditioned on reforms made by the Palestinian Authority.” (See: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-netanyahu-agreed-to-end-gaza-war-within-two-weeks-after-us-strike-on-iran/) We read about the consequences of those who divide God’s land, the land of Israel, in the book of Joel chapter 3:

“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 he 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)

“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles [nations]; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen [nations], and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press [winepress] is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope [a shelter] of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” (Joel 3:9-16)

I believe what is being described above is what is the same description as what is known as the Battle of Armageddon that is described in Revelation 16:14-16 and Revelation 19:19, the time when Jesus Christ returns to earth to judge the world. At that time, the wicked kings and all their military and their military might, along with many people of the earth, will gather together with the final antichrist and his false prophet to war against Jesus Christ. They will be gathered together in a place called Mount Megiddo, also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and it is also known as the Valley of Jezreel (Hosea 1:5). It is there that Jesus Christ will destroy them all with the sharp sword that will come out of His mouth.

As we read in the Scriptures above from Joel, God will not let those who divide His land go unpunished, and that includes even people from Israel who were in agreement to dividing God’s land. I believe that the current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not have Israel’s best interest at heart, for he himself has supported the idea of a so-called “two-state solution,” which I believe will result in dividing God’s land. Both he and USA President Donald Trump have supported this idea as recently as June 26, 2025. (See: https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/us-israel-peace-plan-gaza-abraham-accords, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-netanyahu-agreed-to-end-gaza-war-within-two-weeks-after-us-strike-on-iran/, https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/06/26/trump-and-netanyahus-2-state-vision-gaza-wars-end-abraham-accords-expansion/). The article from JFeed.com had this to say about this horrible proposal:

“An Israeli analyst has pointed out that this is potentially the price Israel has to pay for Trump agreeing to bomb Iran. Obviously, it's too soon to tell what's coming, but anyone with even one brain cell will tell you the two- state solution is a horrific thing for Israel's future.”

I believe the two-state solution will happen, and I believe it will be President Trump that negotiates it, with Benjamin Netanyahu signing it. I believe it may be part of the strengthening of the Abraham Accords. When it is signed, I believe it will be the “covenant with death” prophesied by Isaiah in Isaiah 28:14-20. I suspect that as an incentive for Israel agreeing to “peace” with its neighbors and being willing to divide its land in a two-state solution, President Trump may negotiate the ability for Israel to build its Third Temple, something many Orthodox Jews have been wanting to do for decades. There are some very interesting indicators in Israel that seem to indicate that the building of the Third Temple is just on the horizon. One such report came out on June 29, 2025 from israel365news.com, with the headline, “For the First Time in 2,000 Years: Israeli Mill to Produce Semolina Kosher for Temple Offerings.” (See: https://israel365news.com/410068/for-the-first-time-in-2000-years-israeli-mill-to-produce-semolina-kosher-for-temple-offerings/)

Do not get me wrong and do not confuse my thoughts on Benjamin Netanyahu with my love for God’s people, Israel. While Israel is not perfect, and neither is any country in the world, it knows that it must defend itself or be annihilated. There has never been any country in the world, to my knowledge, that has been sought after for so long to destroy it. However, God will not let that happen. He has always preserved a remnant of Israel, including during World War II, when the satanic Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party sought to eliminate the Jews. If Iran had its way, it would destroy Israel, and Israel knows that. I believe that Israel very much respects the American president, Donald Trump, and they demonstrated that time and time again during his first administration. Because of world pressure, and because of the Satanic agenda of the people who are really ruling the world behind the scenes and who follow Satan, I highly suspect that President Trump will force Israel into a 7-year covenant with its enemies, including Hamas and possibly Iran. I believe this covenant will be supported by the evil United Nations, but I think it will be President Trump who negotiates it with Israel. I say this because I do not believe Israel would trust anyone else, certainly not anyone from the United Nations. For anyone who knows their Bible, this means that I think Donald Trump will be the final antichrist. I am not God, and I do not know the future, and I could be wrong. All I am doing is reading and studying the Bible regarding the times in which we are in and the times that are coming. I see a lot of traits about him that, to me, seem to match what is written about the antichrist. I know that many people will disagree with me, and that is fine. I have not come to this conclusion flippantly and have researched and studied a lot on this subject. People are entitled to believe what they believe. If I am wrong and if I am still here, I will acknowledge my mistake.

This 7-year period for the covenant will be the time written about in the Bible that is known in the book of Daniel as the 70th week, also called the Day of the Lord, which will be the last seven years on earth before Jesus Christ returns. I believe it will begin when Israel will sign the 7-year covenant, as the apostle Paul also wrote about in 1 Thessalonians to believers in Jesus Christ:

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail [labour pains] upon a woman with child [pregnant woman]; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)

“And he [antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst [middle] of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation 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)

It was from Pastor JD Farag, who pastors a church in Hawaii, where I first learned that in Daniel 9:27 above, it says that the antichrist “shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” Notice it does not say that he will make a covenant with many for one week. No, it says that the covenant will be confirmed. Thus, there must be an existing covenant in place already in order for it to be confirmed. When you look at the Hebrew for the source of the translated word of “confirm,” it is the word “wə-hiḡ-bîr.” Strong’s concordance defines this word to mean “exceed, confirm, be great, be mighty, prevail, put to more (strength), strengthen, be stronger, be valiant.” (See: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1396.htm) I agree with Pastor JD that this confirming or strengthening of an existing covenant may very well be the strengthening of the Abraham Accords set in place by Donald Trump in his first administration. (See: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Abraham-Accords) I believe intense pressure from all over the world will continue to be put on Israel, and ultimately, Israel will agree to this covenant. As the apostle Paul wrote that when the people are saying “Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them,” I believe this begins the 7-year time of Jacob’s - which means Israel’s - trouble.

The Bible tells us that the time of Jacob’s trouble will be like birth pains that come upon a pregnant woman. However, it also tells us this of Israel:

“Before she travailed, she brought forth [gave birth]; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.” (Isaiah 66:7)

If you read the above verse too quickly, you might think that it is talking about the birth pains of Israel when she gave birth to Jesus Christ, but that is not what it is saying. It says “Before she travailed” and “before her pain came” she gave birth to Jesus Christ. Thus, the physical process of the young Jewish virgin, Mary, Jesus’ mother, giving birth to Him was not the time of travail that is discussed above; it is not the time of Jacob’s trouble. The travailing of Israel is her 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, the 70th week, referred to in Daniel 9:24-27. The book of Jeremiah describes what it will be like for Israel during this 7-year time period:

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my [back from captivity my] people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear [dread], and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child [male can give birth]? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail [childbirth], and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:1-7)

I believe that this covenant spoken of by Daniel the prophet is the “covenant with death” written about in Isaiah 28 that God will disannul or cancel:

“Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people 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 [Justice] also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet [make the measuring line]: 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 [trampled] down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only [terror just] to understand the report. For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange [awesome] work; and bring to pass his act, his strange [unusual] act. Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands [bonds] be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption [destruction], even determined upon the whole earth. Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.”( Isaiah 28:14-23)

God is specifically addressing the men who rule the people in Jerusalem, warning them, telling them in advance, of the covenant of death that they will agree to and that He will cancel, make void, that covenant. Instead of trusting in Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the precious cornerstone and the sure foundation, they are putting their trust in mere man. Their covering that they will seek from him will not completely cover them, and many of them will die in the upcoming time of Jacob’s trouble. In fact, the Bible tells us that two-thirds of the Jews will die. They reject God’s word that tells us that only Almighty God can completely cover us by His precious blood that He spilled on the cross for us, that we may believe in Him for our salvation, for our protection, for our everything:

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for [of] the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth [lays waste] at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear [lift] thee up in their hands, lest thou dash [strike] thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder [cobra]: the young lion and the dragon [serpent] shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” (Psalm 91)

Sadly, most of Israel, including its political and religious leadership, and the majority of the Gentile world, have not put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to save them. Thus, they will all go through the most horrific time on earth, the seven years of Jacob’s trouble.

As I said previously, Israel is not perfect, and the reason why God will put Israel through the time of Jacob’s trouble is to cause them to see that they have been living deep in sin, with the greatest sin of all being their wholesale rejection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth nearly 2,000 years ago to offer salvation of sins to the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles. It won’t be just Israel, however, that goes through the time of Jacob’s trouble, also known as the tribulation period; no, it will be the entire world. After Israel as a nation rejected its Messiah, Jesus Christ, God tells us in His word through the apostle Paul that God then turned His attention to the Gentiles in order to provoke the Jews to jealousy. This time period will be complete when the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, meaning when God takes His attention off of the Gentiles and turns it back to Israel:

“What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election [elect] 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 alway. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid [Certainly not]: but rather through their fall [trespass] salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing [failure] of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?” (Romans 11:7-12)

“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.” (Romans 11:25)

In March 2022, the Jerusalem Post reported that of the Israelis living in Israel, only 2% are Christians and 80% of them are of Arab descent. (See: https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-698959). It is clear that modern day Israel as a nation is still in full rejection of Jesus Christ as its Messiah. Their hearts, as the apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans, are hardened, and they have stumbled on the stumbling stone, which is Jesus Christ. Let us read more of what Paul wrote as to why God took HIs attention off of Israel and onto the Gentiles for a period of time, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. After that, God will turn His attention back to Israel in the time of Jacob’s trouble, referred to below as “a short work”::

“Esaias [Isaiah] also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: for he [God] 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. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore [Why]? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed [put to shame].” (Romans 9:27-33)

God has written in His word through the prophets, words of warning to His people Israel, about their sin and that they need to turn to Him with their hearts. Yet, time and time again, they have turned away from Him. While they may do good works and try and keep the law, they are not seeking Him with their hearts, for if they were, they would believe on His Son Jesus Christ to save them from all their sins. Now, let us read more of the reasons why God must put Israel through their time of trouble, and what will happen during that time. As I mentioned before, it won’t be just Israel that goes through this time of trouble, but the entire world that has rejected Jesus’ free gift of salvation, who chose sin over salvation:

“Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east [are filled with eastern ways], and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers [clap or shake hands to make bargains with the children of foreigners]. Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots: their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made: and the mean man [people] boweth down, and the great man [each man] humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not. Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, of fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty [proud] looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low…” (Isaiah 2:6-12)

“And the loftiness [pride] of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast [cast away] his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops [crags] of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arisen to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” (Isaiah 2:17-22)

“For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff [stock and the store, every support], the whole stay [supply] of bread, and the whole stay [supply] of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent [diviner], and the ancient [elder], the captain of fifty, and the honourable [eminent in appearance] man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer [skillful artisan], and the eloquent orator.” (Isaiah 3:1-3)

“For Jerusalem is ruined [has stumbled], and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. The shew of their countenance [look on their face] doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded [brought] evil unto themselves. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given to him [done to him]. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. The LORD standeth up to please [contend], and standeth to judge the people. The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients [elders or aged] of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.” (Isaiah 3:8-15)

“The LORD’s voice crieth unto the city [Jerusalem], and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant [short] measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances [scales], and with the bag of deceitful weights? For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting [by striking] thee, in [by] making thee desolate because of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down [hunger, emptiness, or humiliation] shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine. For the statutes of Omri [the sixth king of the northern tribe of Israel, when Israel was a divided nation] are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.” (Micah 6:9-16)

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record [witness] that they have a zeal of [for] God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:1-4)

“But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people [not a nation], and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias [Greek for Isaiah] is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying [contrary] people.” (Romans 10:19-21)

Did you notice a common theme in some of the Scriptures above? Did you notice how many times that God mentions man’s pride, his worship of idols, including gold and silver, and man’s refusal to humble himself before God? During the time of Jacob’s trouble, mankind will be completely humbled and will be brought low before God. God will take away all that Israel and Judah have worshipped and have put their faith and trust in, all that they have depended on to save them, and they will be left with only God to protect them.

Let us read what else the prophet Micah said to the people of Jerusalem. After Donald Trump decided to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites on June 22, 2025, Benjamin Netanyahu applauded him for his actions. I believe that both of these men are deceitful and have brought judgment not only upon themselves, but upon their nations. We are one major and prophetic step closer to the beginning of the time of Jacob’s trouble, to the time when the Bible tells us, “when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail [labour pains] upon a woman with child [pregnant woman]; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) I do not trust either of these men, and I believe everything that is happening is to bring about a new world order that the rich and powerful men having been working to bring about for decades. It is fueled by Satan and is in direct opposition to the one true God. Let us read the words of warning from Micah to the people who will be alive at that time, which I believe is the time that we are living in. Sadly, most do not read God’s word, and for those who do read, most do not heed it:

“Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. The good [faithful or loyal] man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly [successfully], the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward [bribe]; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous [evil] desire: so they wrap it up [scheme together]. The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation [punishment] cometh; now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide [companion]: keep [guard] the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth thy father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are them en of his own house.” (Micah 7:1-6)

Before continuing in Micah 7, I wanted us to consider the attitudes of people that Micah described above are the attitudes and types of people we see in the world today. This is what happens when we reject salvation and choose sin instead; everything is rotten, to the core. The only thing left for God to do is to bring His judgment upon the world, as He did in the days of Noah. God gave every opportunity for the people to be saved, to get in the ark before the flood came. The people mocked and scoffed at Noah, saying something like, “Ha ha ha! You are a fool, the waters won’t overcome us!” Just as they were dead wrong then, so too are the people today who reject salvation from what is coming. For those of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we will be saved from what is coming, but those who have not, will not be saved from it.

As the Scriptures from Isaiah and Micah tell us about the children of Israel, that instead of worshipping the one true God, they worship the work of their own hands, their false gods, and they bow down and humble themselves before their false gods. Though the book of Isaiah was written approximately 2,800 years ago, the Scriptures apply to modern Israel today. The words prophesy of the Day of the Lord, which has not happened yet, but will. I believe the Day of the Lord begins when the coming final antichrist confirms “the covenant with the many,” (Daniel 9:27), which starts the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble. During that time, everyone who exalts himself, who is proud and arrogant, will be brought low.

There is a common theme in the Scriptures that describe what Israel and what the world will be like before the coming great and terrible Day of the Lord, including in Isaiah chapter 13. While Isaiah 13 speaks about a burden or prophecy against Babylon, which as prophesied by Isaiah, took the people of Judah captive for 70 years but was punished by God for “all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight” (Jeremiah 51:24), I believe this is also a prophecy of the soon-coming time of Jacob’s trouble. In other words, I believe Isaiah chapter 13 is a dual prophecy. I believe the first fulfillment happened when the Medo-Persian Empire destroyed Babylon. I believe there is an even more important second fulfillment that is coming, and it directly relates to the Day of the Lord. I believe the Babylon that is written about in Isaiah 13 for the second fulfillment of prophecy is referring to “Mystery, Babylon” that is written about in the book of Revelation, including in Revelation 17:5. Let us read Isaiah 13:

“The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the [wave your] hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified [set apart or consecrated] ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness [exaltation]. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: and they shall be afraid: pangs [sharp pains] and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible [tyrants]. I will make man more precious [rare] than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. And it shall be as the chased roe [hunted gazelle], and as a sheep that no man taketh up [gathers]: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land. Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled [plundered], and their wives ravished. Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard [esteem] silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs [wild goats] shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons [jackals] in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.” (Isaiah 13)

I think the reason why the Scriptures above tell us specifically that Babylon “shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation” is because God wants us to know that in the book of Revelation, it refers to “Mystery, Babylon,” it is not the the same Babylon that was written about in the Scriptures above in Isaiah 13. I believe the first fulfillment of Isaiah 13 regarding Babylon tells us that Babylon will not ever be rebuilt or inhabited again. However, in the book of Revelation, it tells us of something called “Mastery, Babylon.” I have listened to several pastors and others who believe that “Mystery, Babylon” will be a rebuilt Babylon, in the place where it used to be, which was in Mesopotamia, or modern day Iraq. However, I do not believe this is true because the Bible is clear that the old Babylon will not rise again. Jeremiah 51:58-64 says something similar:

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken [laid bare], and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in [nations because of] the fire, and they shall be weary. The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince. So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words; Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever. And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shall bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates. And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far as the words of Jeremiah.” (Jeremiah 51:58-64)

Just as the Medo-Persian Empire destroyed Babylon, I believe that it very well may be that Iran and those who have allied with them, possibly Russia, China, Turkey, and other Middle Eastern nations, will destroy specifically New York City, which I believe is Mystery, Babylon, and likely other key cities in the USA. This will render Israel defenseless against its enemies since it no longer will have the military support of the USA. Israel will have to rely on God and Him alone to save her from destruction.

Just as Babylon stood out from all other kingdoms of its time, with its wealth and extravagant luxury, so too does the United States, which I believe perfectly fits the description of Babylon that is written about in the book of Revelation. The Bible tells us of this Mystery, Babylon:

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

I believe that since the last great empire, the Roman Empire, no other nation has existed that has lived in such opulence and luxury as the United States. I also do not believe that there has been such a nation that has committed such abominations not only in the USA, but which has spread its filth across the entire world. In addition, today, more than ever, the USA has become extremely prideful, with its current president being full of pride, never missing an opportunity to exalt himself and insult people who oppose him.

Returning to Israel, whether my beliefs about the events to come are correct or not, one thing is certain, Israel will not be eliminated; God will save a one-third remnant during the coming time of Jacob’s trouble. It will be this remnant of Israel who will finally turn to Jesus Christ, who is the branch of the LORD, after having gone through the refiner’s fire. In the end, Israel will come out refined as gold, with all impurities, with all their sin, removed and forgiven by Almighty God. In that day Israel will mourn when they look upon Jesus, the One whom they pierced, but Jesus will open a fountain of the water of life for forgiveness to His people Israel:

“In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely [appealing] for them that are escaped of Israel [have survived]. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written [recorded] among the living in Jerusalem: when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood [bloodshed] of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.” (Isaiah 4:2-4)

“The burden 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. 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 [peoples] 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 the nations that come against Jerusalem. 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 [grieves] 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, another wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. 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 off 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 spirits to pass out of [depart from] the land.” (Zechariah 12:1-13:2)

“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 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)

As we remember what Isaiah chapter 49 tells us, many children of the remnant of Israel will die during their time of trouble, and God will give to Israel the sons and daughters of the saved Gentiles to be their sons and daughters. The sons and daughters of the Gentiles will be as flesh and blood children to the remnant of Israel, and God will save them. God will deliver them from the grip of the mighty and the terrible. God will war against those who are holding them captive.

After Jesus returns at His second coming at the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble, never again will Israel go through what it has gone through since October 7, 2023. On that day, Hamas came into the land of Israel and slaughtered many and took many of the people of Israel hostage, with approximately 53 still being held hostage as of June 21, 2025, the majority of which Israel believes are deceased. No more will Israel make unbalanced deals with those who take their people captive in order to release them, for it will be Almighty God who will save them.

As is written in Zechariah chapters 12 and 13 that we just read above, the last part of the book of Micah in chapter 7 gives hope for Israel. It tells them, and it tells the Gentiles, that there will be a remnant of Israel who will survive. They will be forgiven by Jesus Christ, who will be their Shepherd, who will be their God. No more will His people worship false gods and idols, no more will Israel put its faith and trust in themselves and not in God. Now, let us read what Micah wrote:

“Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause [case], and execute judgment [justice] for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden [trampled] down as the mire of the streets. In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed [decree go far and wide or boundary be extended]. In that day also he [the captives collectively] shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river [The Euphrates], and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings [deeds]. Feed [Shepherd] thy people with thy rod [staff], the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood [woodland], in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gildead, as in the days of old. According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him [The captives collectively] marvellous things. The nations shall see and be confounded at all [ashamed of] their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move [crawl] out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by [over] the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their [our] sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform [give] the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.” (Micah 7:7-20)

I want to encourage my dear brothers and sisters in Christ to not lose hope, and let us be encouraged by all that we see happening in our world today. God told us in His word what would happen before it happens so that when we see it happening, we would recognize the signs and we would know just how close we are coming to the rapture of the church, when Jesus Christ calls up His bride, all believers in Him, to Himself in the clouds before the coming time of Jacob’s trouble. I know that not everyone who is saved by putting their faith and trust in Him believes in the pre-tribulation rapture, and I respect those who do not, for they are my fellow believers in Jesus Christ. While I am doing my best to understand the Bible through the leading of the Holy Spirit as I read and study His word, I may not have everything correct. It doesn’t matter if I am right or wrong about the rapture; what matters is that I am saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, if you are saved by His blood. I think as we get closer to the start of the time of Jacob’s trouble, God will unveil more of His word to us, and we will have a clearer understanding as to the times we are in. Let us read the words of encouragement written by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians:

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [died], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep [dead]. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever [always] be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children [sons] of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober [self-controlled]. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-10)

I want to include a passage of Scripture from the book of Hosea chapter 6 that is very interesting to me:

“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten [stricken], and he will bind [bandage] us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared [established] as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3)

After Jesus gave up His life on the cross, something very unusual happened, and that was the tearing of the temple veil. Is it possible that when Hosea wrote in the Scriptures above that God has torn and struck Israel, it is referring to the tearing of the Temple veil after Jesus gave up His life? We are told that before Jesus gave up His life on the cross, He was mocked by the chief priests, scribes, and elders. After Jesus gave up His life, the veil of the temple was torn or rent in two. Let us read some of what transpired before and after Jesus gave up His life on the cross:

“And sitting down they [the Roman soldiers] watched him there; and set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled [blasphemed] him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias [Elijah the prophet]. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain [torn in two] from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent [split]; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching [guarding] Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:36-54)

The veil of the temple was no ordinary curtain, and the tearing of it from top to bottom was nothing insignificant. Gotquestions.org has a good article that explains what the temple veil was, the significance of it, and its estimated height: (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/temple-veil-torn.html)

“During the lifetime of Jesus, the holy temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life. The temple was the place where animal sacrifices were carried out and worship according to the Law of Moses was followed faithfully. Hebrews 9:1-9 tells us that in the temple a veil separated the Holy of Holies—the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence—from the rest of the temple where men dwelt. This signified that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this veil once each year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7) to enter God’s presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16).

“Solomon’s temple was 30 cubits high (1 Kings 6:2), but Herod had increased the height to 40 cubits, according to the writings of Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian. There is uncertainty as to the exact measurement of a cubit, but it is safe to assume that this veil was somewhere near 60 feet high. An early Jewish tradition says that the veil was about four inches thick, but the Bible does not confirm that measurement. The book of Exodus teaches that this thick veil was fashioned from blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.

“The size and thickness of the veil make the events occurring at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross so much more momentous. “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:50-51a).

“So, what do we make of this? What significance does this torn veil have for us today? Above all, the tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus’ death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins. It signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile.”

Jesus came to earth and was crucified by His own because they rejected Him. We don’t know for sure, but it is estimated that He was crucified between 30-33 AD. If that is correct, then sometime around 2030-2033, Jesus will return. However, before that happens, the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble will take place. When Jesus returns, it will be approximately 2,000 years after He died. After that, He will reign on earth for a period of 1,000 years. It is during that time that Jesus will revive, or restore, His people, the surviving remnant of Israel. I believe this very well may be the third day that is written about in Hosea 6:1-3, which is the third day, or the third 1,000-year period, after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. It will be a time of rest for all of God’s children. It is then that humanity will live as God intended it to be in the Garden of Eden before the fall of Adam and Eve.

There are Scriptures that speak of entering into God’s rest, particularly in the book of Hebrews. Let us read some of them:

“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession [confession], Christ Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation [rebellion], in the day of temptation [trial] in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted [tested] me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved [angry] with that generation, and said, they do always err [go astray] in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made [have become] partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; while it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke [rebel]: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases [corpses] fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3)

Before we read Hebrews 4, the author of Hebrews, whom many believe is the apostle Paul, reminded all of us that even though God brought His people - the children of Israel - through Moses, out of Egypt, not all of them entered into the Promised Land because of their rebellion against Him. In fact, no one 20 years of age or older entered into it and would die in the wilderness (Numbers 14:28-30). That generation of Israelites had hardened their hearts against God time and time again, and Paul warned us not to harden our own hearts against God. Hebrews chapter 3 closes with the warning to us, “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:19) Now, let us read Hebrews chapter 4:

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promised being left [remaining of] us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall [they shall not] enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise [in this way], and God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again If they shall [they shall not] enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: again, he limiteth [designates] a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour [be diligent] therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick [living], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of [able to judge] the thoughts and intents [intentions] of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in [hidden from] his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do [must give account]. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched [sympathize] with the feeling of our infirmities [our weaknesses]; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4)

In closing, we see how God will save His own. He will save a remnant of Israel, and He will save Gentile believers in Jesus Christ, who will be as flesh and blood children to the saved remnant who will lose their own children. It will be by the mighty hand of God - Jesus Christ - alone who saves them. At the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble, Jesus will begin His 1,000-year reign on earth, and we who have not hardened our hearts against Him, who have put our faith and trust in Him alone to save us, will enter into His rest, a time of peace on earth. Not only will Jesus be reigning as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, but Satan will be locked away in the bottomless pit during this time period. (Revelation 20:1-3) Oh, how I look forward to this time! I am so tired of hearing about wars, murder, deception, lies, chaos, and confusion as we try just to live our lives in these perilous times. My heart longs for Jesus, but let us not grow weary, for we can have rest in Him during these turbulent times, as we look forward to His second coming. Let us remember the words of Jesus Christ to us:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of [from] me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 11:28-30) ✝️