The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty - C Jul 05, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T023_20200705.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: We will continue to look at God's response to His wayward son. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday July 5th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 20C Alas, Sinful Nation 1). We had seen last time how God had progressively worked through a series of individuals over time to bring about an entirely new creation in one man, Jacob, so as to create a nation separate from the kingdom of Satan, a nation that was to rule over all the other nations of the earth and be the conduit of God’s spiritual blessings to those nations – Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: And this creation in Jacob was called to both rule over and be God’s witnesses to the Gentile nations – Isa 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God. The Jewish people were to be the witnesses to the Gentile nations of the One True God, the only One through whom redemption could be found. a). But because of Israel’s illicit embrace of the god of this world through her involvement with the Gentile nations and their gods, God the Father branded her as a harlot. The unfaithful wife who betrayed her heavenly Husband for the earthly, the sensual, the demonic – Jg 2:11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And rather than being the Lord’s servants, they exalted themselves – Jg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. The days of the judges lasted about 300 years, but Israel’s harlotry continued beyond those days into the 450 years of the historical kingdom. Finally, when Israel’s cup of iniquity became full God allowed the nation to be removed from their land and taken into captivity, firstly by the Assyrians and then by the Babylonians, beginning the time that the Scriptures call ‘the times of the Gentiles’ [Lk 21:24]; a time when the Jewish people would be scattered among the Gentile nations, who would themselves hold the scepter of rulership in Israel’s place. b). The beginning of the ‘times of the Gentiles’ marked the end of the Theocratic Kingdom and saw God divorce His harlot wife. c). And these times and this situation continue even today as the nation we now call Israel is in the geographical land only because of Gentile intervention and remains there disobedient and unrepentant. d). And because of their assimilation into the present system of rulership the Jewish people have never yet been God’s witnesses to the nations of His redemption as He had intended – Jon 1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. And it is the Book of Jonah that we can turn to in order to see the type for this. e). Jonah is a type of Israel, who is called to go to ‘Nineveh, that great city’ to cry out against it, just as Israel was called to be God’s witnesses among the wicked Gentile nations, pictured through Nineveh, as they continued their pagan activities within the kingdom of Satan. But because of the nation’s harlotry through becoming involved in these same pagan activities, patterning themselves after the same Gentile nations they had been called to be witnesses to, they fled from the presence of the Lord, doing what seemed right in their own eyes instead. Jon 1:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. The Book of Jonah brings us right to the present day and more particularly to events that will begin around the mid-point in the Tribulation. f). Jonah in the ship, pictures Israel in the land, and because Israel is in the land apart from repentance, the sea, the Gentile nations are tempestuous. Not just those nations that border geographical Israel, but the entire world. g). And there is only one thing that will quiet the tempest caused by Israel’s unrepentant presence in the land – Jon 1:11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. 12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” Jonah knew he had to be thrown into the sea to quiet the tempest in the type and Israel must again be scattered among the Gentile nations in the antitype – Jon 1:15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. In the type Jonah was then swallowed by the ‘great fish’ that God had prepared for that very purpose, which pictures Israel in the place of death, but also in a place of protection. h). Although 2/3 of all Jews will be killed during the last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation, the nation itself will survive – Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the But he shall be saved out of it. 8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.10 ‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ The Jewish people’s protection and deliverance is certain, but God will not let them go ‘altogether unpunished’. And nor could He, because actions always have consequences and God’s response to Israel’s sin had already been given in detail to both the first and second generation to come out of Egypt and God will always remain faithful to His Word. 2). We will look at what He said to the first generation - Le 26:14 “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. 18 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And as we follow through the 26th Chapter of the Book of Leviticus, we find repetition and intensification – Le 26:21 “Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. Le 26:23 “And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. Le 26:27 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. The use of the number 7 – seven times - gives us completeness of that which is view, which is Israel’s punishment for her sins. And each ‘seven times’ adds to that which has gone before showing an increased intensity in the severity of God’s punishment if the nation continues to walk contrary to Him. a). And we then see that ‘seven times’ is repeated 4 times in this Chapter, showing us the purpose for God’s punishment of His wayward son. b). 4 is a number used in connection with the earth – 4 points of the compass, 4 winds, 4 elements, 4 seasons etc. And is therefore a number connected to the restoration of the earth by the 3 Persons of the Godhead. c). Then in addition, the 4th Day of the restoration in Genesis Chapter 1 is the day we see in connection with rulership – Ge 1:16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. [He made] the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And all of this points to God’s purpose for the final intensity of the punishment of His son during the Great Tribulation - I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins – which is redemption, the restoration of the creation in Jacob that has been ruined by sin for the purpose of rulership. d). And this is exactly what we see when we compare Scripture with Scripture. Let’s put some familiar verses together – Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. This verse refers to Daniel’s 70th week, the 7 years of the coming tribulation, and more specifically the final 3 ½ years. A time that is so great ‘that none is like it’ – Mt 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. And we see most specifically that this is described as ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ – a time of trouble for the people who are the separate creation, in Jacob. But they shall be saved out of it. Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; Let’s note the 3 parts to this. Jacob is created and Israel is subsequently ‘formed’, with the end result that Israel is redeemed. e). The word translated ‘formed’ in this verse has to do with being squeezed, with the idea of a potter squeezing the clay into the form he wants. The squeezing would be the time of Jacob’s trouble when the creation in Jacob will be squeezed into the form that God wants. f). Let’s add the last piece to the picture – Ge 32:24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Not only then do these verses relate to us an actual event in Jacob’s life, but in them is prophetically pictured the Jewish people’s experience during the Great Tribulation when the nation will have ‘struggled with God and men’, when they will be squeezed. A struggle that takes place in the night, just before the break of day – Mal 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And in this struggle Jacob will not let go of the Man until the Man has blessed him, just as the squeezed nation will not let go of the God of their fathers until He hears their cries and delivers them. g). And through God’s chastising work at the hands of the Gentile nations, a repentant son will emerge. No longer Jacob, but now Israel, the ‘prince who will rule with God’ – Zec 13:9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ” Eze 22:15 I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. And we can take all of this back to the Book of Jonah to see how repentant Israel crying out to God is presented there – Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly. 2 And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. ‘Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5 The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. 7 “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” 10 So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Jonah vomited onto dry land is a picture of resurrection. Jonah, and therefore Israel, coming by resurrection power from ‘the sea’ to the ‘dry land’; removed from the Gentile nations to the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is first seen in the foundational type of the 3rd Day in Genesis Chapter 1 – Ge 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Once this had happened, so Jonah, as with the ‘dry land’ in Genesis Chapter 1, becomes fruitful, fulfilling that which he was called to do – Jon 3:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And in the same way, redeemed and restored Israel having been returned to the land at the head of the nations will be fruitful and will fulfill their calling to be God’s witnesses to the nations as we have seen in the type of Joseph’s brothers – Ge 45:26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.”…………… Zec 8:23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ” Israel’s sin will have been cleansed for all time and there will then be a King in Israel and everyone will do what is right in God’s eyes. The rebellious nation will now be the Lord’s faithful servant. The prodigal son will have returned home, and all the nations of the earth will receive God’s spiritual blessings through the ministry of His adopted son. h). In this God’s purpose will be accomplished exactly as He set it out in His Word, and we can only wonder at how amazing this outcome will be – Ro 11:11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! 3). We will remember that in the foundation in Genesis, God had established an unalterable pattern for the restoration of a ruined creation, 6 days of work followed be the 7th Day of Rest. And from this we have seen that God always works within very specific timeframes. a). When Israel’s cup of iniquity became full and both Israel and Judah were taken into captivity, God had already allotted a time in which this captivity would be completed – Jer 29:10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. These verses from Jeremiah begin with the time allotted for the captivity to be completed, seen in v10, but v12-14 move prophetically to a time beyond the captivity to the days of the Tribulation. b). Daniel, having been taken in the captivity to Babylon had seen, from studying Jeremiah, the time that God had allotted for the captivity and consequently began to pray in accordance with what he had read in Jeremiah 29:12 – Da 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. And in response to Daniel’s prayer, God sent Gabriel to explain something to him concerning the timing of God’s purpose for His chosen people – Da 9:20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city………. But this will have to wait until next time – if the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty - C Jul 05, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T023_20200705.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: We will continue to look at God's response to His wayward son. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday July 5th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 20C Alas, Sinful Nation 1). We had seen last time how God had progressively worked through a series of individuals over time to bring about an entirely new creation in one man, Jacob, so as to create a nation separate from the kingdom of Satan, a nation that was to rule over all the other nations of the earth and be the conduit of God’s spiritual blessings to those nations – Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: And this creation in Jacob was called to both rule over and be God’s witnesses to the Gentile nations – Isa 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God. The Jewish people were to be the witnesses to the Gentile nations of the One True God, the only One through whom redemption could be found. a). But because of Israel’s illicit embrace of the god of this world through her involvement with the Gentile nations and their gods, God the Father branded her as a harlot. The unfaithful wife who betrayed her heavenly Husband for the earthly, the sensual, the demonic – Jg 2:11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And rather than being the Lord’s servants, they exalted themselves – Jg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. The days of the judges lasted about 300 years, but Israel’s harlotry continued beyond those days into the 450 years of the historical kingdom. Finally, when Israel’s cup of iniquity became full God allowed the nation to be removed from their land and taken into captivity, firstly by the Assyrians and then by the Babylonians, beginning the time that the Scriptures call ‘the times of the Gentiles’ [Lk 21:24]; a time when the Jewish people would be scattered among the Gentile nations, who would themselves hold the scepter of rulership in Israel’s place. b). The beginning of the ‘times of the Gentiles’ marked the end of the Theocratic Kingdom and saw God divorce His harlot wife. c). And these times and this situation continue even today as the nation we now call Israel is in the geographical land only because of Gentile intervention and remains there disobedient and unrepentant. d). And because of their assimilation into the present system of rulership the Jewish people have never yet been God’s witnesses to the nations of His redemption as He had intended – Jon 1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. And it is the Book of Jonah that we can turn to in order to see the type for this. e). Jonah is a type of Israel, who is called to go to ‘Nineveh, that great city’ to cry out against it, just as Israel was called to be God’s witnesses among the wicked Gentile nations, pictured through Nineveh, as they continued their pagan activities within the kingdom of Satan. But because of the nation’s harlotry through becoming involved in these same pagan activities, patterning themselves after the same Gentile nations they had been called to be witnesses to, they fled from the presence of the Lord, doing what seemed right in their own eyes instead. Jon 1:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. The Book of Jonah brings us right to the present day and more particularly to events that will begin around the mid-point in the Tribulation. f). Jonah in the ship, pictures Israel in the land, and because Israel is in the land apart from repentance, the sea, the Gentile nations are tempestuous. Not just those nations that border geographical Israel, but the entire world. g). And there is only one thing that will quiet the tempest caused by Israel’s unrepentant presence in the land – Jon 1:11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. 12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” Jonah knew he had to be thrown into the sea to quiet the tempest in the type and Israel must again be scattered among the Gentile nations in the antitype – Jon 1:15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. In the type Jonah was then swallowed by the ‘great fish’ that God had prepared for that very purpose, which pictures Israel in the place of death, but also in a place of protection. h). Although 2/3 of all Jews will be killed during the last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation, the nation itself will survive – Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the But he shall be saved out of it. 8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.10 ‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ The Jewish people’s protection and deliverance is certain, but God will not let them go ‘altogether unpunished’. And nor could He, because actions always have consequences and God’s response to Israel’s sin had already been given in detail to both the first and second generation to come out of Egypt and God will always remain faithful to His Word. 2). We will look at what He said to the first generation - Le 26:14 “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. 18 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And as we follow through the 26th Chapter of the Book of Leviticus, we find repetition and intensification – Le 26:21 “Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. Le 26:23 “And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. Le 26:27 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. The use of the number 7 – seven times - gives us completeness of that which is view, which is Israel’s punishment for her sins. And each ‘seven times’ adds to that which has gone before showing an increased intensity in the severity of God’s punishment if the nation continues to walk contrary to Him. a). And we then see that ‘seven times’ is repeated 4 times in this Chapter, showing us the purpose for God’s punishment of His wayward son. b). 4 is a number used in connection with the earth – 4 points of the compass, 4 winds, 4 elements, 4 seasons etc. And is therefore a number connected to the restoration of the earth by the 3 Persons of the Godhead. c). Then in addition, the 4th Day of the restoration in Genesis Chapter 1 is the day we see in connection with rulership – Ge 1:16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. [He made] the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And all of this points to God’s purpose for the final intensity of the punishment of His son during the Great Tribulation - I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins – which is redemption, the restoration of the creation in Jacob that has been ruined by sin for the purpose of rulership. d). And this is exactly what we see when we compare Scripture with Scripture. Let’s put some familiar verses together – Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. This verse refers to Daniel’s 70th week, the 7 years of the coming tribulation, and more specifically the final 3 ½ years. A time that is so great ‘that none is like it’ – Mt 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. And we see most specifically that this is described as ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ – a time of trouble for the people who are the separate creation, in Jacob. But they shall be saved out of it. Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; Let’s note the 3 parts to this. Jacob is created and Israel is subsequently ‘formed’, with the end result that Israel is redeemed. e). The word translated ‘formed’ in this verse has to do with being squeezed, with the idea of a potter squeezing the clay into the form he wants. The squeezing would be the time of Jacob’s trouble when the creation in Jacob will be squeezed into the form that God wants. f). Let’s add the last piece to the picture – Ge 32:24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Not only then do these verses relate to us an actual event in Jacob’s life, but in them is prophetically pictured the Jewish people’s experience during the Great Tribulation when the nation will have ‘struggled with God and men’, when they will be squeezed. A struggle that takes place in the night, just before the break of day – Mal 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And in this struggle Jacob will not let go of the Man until the Man has blessed him, just as the squeezed nation will not let go of the God of their fathers until He hears their cries and delivers them. g). And through God’s chastising work at the hands of the Gentile nations, a repentant son will emerge. No longer Jacob, but now Israel, the ‘prince who will rule with God’ – Zec 13:9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ” Eze 22:15 I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. And we can take all of this back to the Book of Jonah to see how repentant Israel crying out to God is presented there – Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly. 2 And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. ‘Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5 The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. 7 “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” 10 So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Jonah vomited onto dry land is a picture of resurrection. Jonah, and therefore Israel, coming by resurrection power from ‘the sea’ to the ‘dry land’; removed from the Gentile nations to the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is first seen in the foundational type of the 3rd Day in Genesis Chapter 1 – Ge 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Once this had happened, so Jonah, as with the ‘dry land’ in Genesis Chapter 1, becomes fruitful, fulfilling that which he was called to do – Jon 3:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And in the same way, redeemed and restored Israel having been returned to the land at the head of the nations will be fruitful and will fulfill their calling to be God’s witnesses to the nations as we have seen in the type of Joseph’s brothers – Ge 45:26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.”…………… Zec 8:23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ” Israel’s sin will have been cleansed for all time and there will then be a King in Israel and everyone will do what is right in God’s eyes. The rebellious nation will now be the Lord’s faithful servant. The prodigal son will have returned home, and all the nations of the earth will receive God’s spiritual blessings through the ministry of His adopted son. h). In this God’s purpose will be accomplished exactly as He set it out in His Word, and we can only wonder at how amazing this outcome will be – Ro 11:11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! 3). We will remember that in the foundation in Genesis, God had established an unalterable pattern for the restoration of a ruined creation, 6 days of work followed be the 7th Day of Rest. And from this we have seen that God always works within very specific timeframes. a). When Israel’s cup of iniquity became full and both Israel and Judah were taken into captivity, God had already allotted a time in which this captivity would be completed – Jer 29:10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. These verses from Jeremiah begin with the time allotted for the captivity to be completed, seen in v10, but v12-14 move prophetically to a time beyond the captivity to the days of the Tribulation. b). Daniel, having been taken in the captivity to Babylon had seen, from studying Jeremiah, the time that God had allotted for the captivity and consequently began to pray in accordance with what he had read in Jeremiah 29:12 – Da 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. And in response to Daniel’s prayer, God sent Gabriel to explain something to him concerning the timing of God’s purpose for His chosen people – Da 9:20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city………. But this will have to wait until next time – if the Lord is willing.