Life&Death

     "It's a matter of life and death!" This is a well-known expression meaning that something is of extreme urgency. This expression came to mind as I read the Sabbath reading portion.

     This is the second week of the Sabbath reading portion titled Acharei-Mot, which means "after the death". This reading portion began on the Sabbath following Passover, which we discussed in the previous blog entry "Tabernacles&Passover" and continued through the Feast of First Fruits (Lev. 23:9-12), which occurs on the day after the Sabbath following the Passover, which would be on a Sunday. This is the Feast which was fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:20-23), who was slain on Passover, and three days later rose from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits (Mt. 28:1, Mk. 16:`1-2, Lk. 24:1-3, Jn. 19:42-20:1). 

     As mentioned last week, this Acharei-Mot Sabbath reading starts in Lev. 16 after the deaths of two of Aaron's sons, who had offered strange (zur - a stranger, an enemy, a foreigner, loathsome, profane, commit adultery) fire before the LORD (Lev. 16:1). By offering strange incense, Aaron's sons did not regard the LORD as holy, and did not glorify Him before the people. For this, fire went out from the LORD and devoured them. (Lev. 10:1-3). If we consider the fact that the tabernacle given to Moses by the LORD was patterned after the heavenly things, we know that the incense that is to come before God in His heavenly temple is made up of the powerful, Spirit-filled prayers of the saints, which prayers are cherished by God (Rev. 5:8). To come before God with a tainted version of this would be unacceptable. These deaths may seem harsh to many who read of them. However, by disregarding the holiness and glory of the LORD, and the profound purpose that exists within that holiness and glory and coming before Him in the same manner as strangers or enemies, His people were removing that part of the LORD's character that is powerful to save from death and the grave and to deliver any and all who call upon Him. Why would anyone call on God if His own people treat Him no differently than a useless idol, or a powerless figurehead? It is this holiness of the LORD  that called us to His salvation: "...God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed...who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..." (2 Tim. 1:8-9). Isaiah wrote of the LORD's declaration over us: "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., For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...Fear not for I am with you...I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth - Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." (Isa. 43:2-7). The LORD also said that when He redeemed us, we became His. (Isa. 43:1). We became enfolded into His holiness and glory through His Son, sent as a sacrificial Lamb to atone for us, and to pay the redemption price for us on behalf of His Father in heaven. Not only does the LORD save and deliver through His holiness, but He calls us into His own holiness as He also glorifies us in His own glory (Rom. 8:30, Jn. 17:22-24, 1 Thess. 4:7-8, Eph. 1:3-6). Only the holy and glorious God can do this, and it is His purpose to offer this salvation to all who will call upon Him as the God who saves (Joel 2:32).

     In this week's Sabbath reading portion the LORD calls upon His people through Moses, saying: "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." (Lev. 19:1-2). We read last week that the uncleanness of God's people causes His house, or tabernacle/temple, to become defiled and unclean as it sits in the midst of them (Lev. 16:15-16). We will see more about the house/tabernacle/temple of the LORD later. In Lev. 18, the LORD gave a command to Moses to speak to the children of Israel, saying: "I am the LORD you God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My judgments, and keep (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My ordinances, to walk in them [which if a man does, he shall live (hayay - remain alive, have life, continue in life, to revive from sickness or death, preserve alive, restore to life, save life) by them]: I am the LORD your God. (Lev. 18:1-5). The ways of Egypt and Canaan were wrapped up in the worship of terrible gods and idols that glory in the death of men, but the ways of the LORD God are wrapped up in life, even the restoring of life from the dead, and salvation life, as we see in the Hebrew meaning of hayay, life above. The LORD couldn't make it plainer to His people. In another place, Moses tells the people: "See (ra'a - see, perceive, prophetic sight or revelation, have vision, discern, be visible), I have set before you today (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments, that you may live (hayay - same as above) and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess." (Deut. 30:15-16, see also Josh. 24:14-15).

     In another reading from this week's Sabbath portion, the prophet Jeremiah received the Word of the LORD for Judah and Jerusalem. The LORD said to Jeremiah: "A conspiracy (qeser/qasar - conspiracy, treason, unlawful alliance/to bind, to tie, to bind together, to bind oneself) has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have...gone after other gods to serve them...have broken (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My covenant which I made with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) their fathers. Therefore...I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them...(they) will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense but they will not save them at all in the time of trouble...you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Ba'al (Phoenician/Canaanite god)...What has My beloved to do in My house, having done lewd deeds with many? And the holy flesh has passed from you. When you do evil, then you rejoice." (Jer. 11:9-15). In using the word "conspiracy" above, the LORD is saying that His people have tied themselves to an unlawful alliance with the gods whom they have chosen to serve. These gods of depravity and death become spiritually bound to the individual. The LORD sees the body of death to which His people have tied themselves.

     It is interesting that the LORD gave prohibitions regarding contact with a dead body (Num. 19:11-22). In these prohibitions, if the man who is unclean from touching the dead "does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD."  Again we see that the uncleanness of the people of God also defiles the house of God. As Paul saw the destructive power of sin in our/his flesh, our spiritual temple, he cried out, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:24-25). The house of the LORD is the house of life which breaks out against death.

     In another reading portion from this Sabbath, the prophet Amos prophesied against the northern kingdom of Israel when the nation was divided into two kingdoms. Amos prophesied of a great calamity that would come upon Israel because of its injustices and corruption, because it did not heed the voice of the LORD and His commandments: "The end has come upon My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. And the songs of the temple shall be wailing in that day, says the LORD God - Many dead bodies everywhere, they shall be thrown out in silence." (Amos 8:2-3). The LORD showed Amos another vision of the temple: "I saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the LORD standing by the altar, and He said, 'Smite (naka - slay, beat, wounded, stripes, give wounds, to be stricken or smitten, scourge, chastise, send judgment upon) the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them..." (Amos 9:1). The LORD promised that wherever the people chose to hide from those shaking doorposts and thresholds of His temple, they would not be able to escape..." All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, 'The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.' (v. 1-4, 10). The very doorposts and lintels or the house/temple that were to shield the Israelites from death by the blood of the Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:3-7), were now to be struck, slain, beaten, wounded, scourged, stricken and smitten, chastised in judgment for the sins of God's people (see Isa. 53). In disregarding the blood of the Lamb which was provided for deliverance, and choosing instead the gods of this world, all things become death. The gods and systems of this world do not serve life. They serve money.

     The apostle John wrote of the revelation given to him. In that revelation, he saw the Lamb, Jesus, in the temple of heaven, opening the seals of the scrolls that would lead to the wrath of God that was to be poured out upon the earth. (Rev. 15:5-8). The temple of life breaks out against the powers of death, and against all of those who "tie" themselves to those things. Elsewhere in scripture, the LORD commands His people: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God. and they shall be My people...Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you...I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:16-18, see also Isa. 52:10-11).

     This prophecy of Amos, above, is certainly a matter of life and death, but then the LORD gives Amos this prophecy: "On that day, I will raise up (qum - rise up, raise, establish, preserve alive) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the tabernacle (sukah - tabernacle, booth, pavilion, entwined boughs, covering) of David (meaning "beloved"), which has fallen (napal - fall down, lie down, violent death, perish) down, and repair its (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) damages; I will raise up (qum - same as above) its ruins, and rebuild (bana - build, repair, have children, obtain children) it as in the days of old (olam/alam - everlasting, ancient, evermore, perpetual, continuous existence, eternity, a hidden time/to conceal, hide, secret); That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,' says the LORD who does this thing...I will bring back (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the captives of My people Israel..." (v. 11-12, 14). The LORD promised that they would drink the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) wine (yayin - effervescent, banqueting wine, ripened grape cluster, vineyard) and the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) fruits (peri - first fruits, fruit, boughs, reward).

     As the prophecy of Amos tells us, according to the meanings of the Hebrew words used, the LORD is going to raise up from death the tabernacle of David, meaning the Messiah/Christ. This tabernacle did not originate from the time of David but was concealed within eternity. This is the same thing that Paul wrote above about salvation, which is God's purpose and grace through Messiah/Christ, which was from before time began, and what was previously hidden in that eternity is now revealed (see 2 Tim. 1:8-9). The tabernacle of which Amos wrote prophetically is the original tabernacle of life. It is not referred to as an ohel tabernacle, but as a sukkah tabernacle, an intimate chamber or booth made of boughs of living matter, of the type constructed for the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a tabernacle that is meant to welcome many children, even those who were once enemies and heathen, but are now called by the name of the LORD. Those who were taken as spiritual and physical captives are brought home to enter the time of banqueting and fruitfulness with Him. It is the sukkah of eternal life for those who belong to "the Beloved", the Son of David, the Son of God (Mt. 17:1-9, Mt. 3:16-17).

     In this chapter of Amos, we see that the LORD's judgment and salvation, death and eternal life, are offered side by side to His people. It's a matter of life and death - choose life.

     If you would like to learn more about holiness and glory to save life, you can join with me in prayer: "Heavenly Father, I choose life today. I choose the Word and Way of the LORD. I gratefully receive Your salvation, provided to me by the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. By Your Holy Spirit, lead me in the ways of life. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness by Your grace extended to me. Show me how to turn away from the paths of death and walk instead in the path of life. Let me dwell all my days in Your tabernacle, in Your holiness and glory. I ask this in the name of Jesus, My Savior. AMEN."

 *NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

idols

We have certain ideas of what constitutes an idol. We usually connect idol worship with a kind of paganism, and the worship of a god or gods other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Who is the God of all creation. Sometimes we view an idol as anything that we make more important than God in our lives. This week's sabbath reading portion from Exodus chapters 31 through 34 titled Ki Tissa, meaning "when you elevate", includes the familiar account of the golden calf. However, I began to think about what constitutes the worship of idols, and began to see some unexpected things. It made me think about what we may be "elevating", as stated in the reading portion title, that we may not usually associate with idolatry. As this week's sabbath reading begins, Moses had been on the mountain receiving detailed instructions regarding the construction of the tabernacle and everything connected with it. It is at this time that Moses also received what we call The Ten Commandments: "And when He (the LORD) had made an end of speaking/communing with him (Moses) on Mount Sinai (meaning "thorny"), He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony (edut - testimony, witness, precept of God, revelation), written with the finger (espa/seba - forefinger particularly as in the finger of the priest applying blood or oil/dip into divers colors, colored cloth) of God." (Ex. 31:18). The word "speaking/communing" used in the above verse is the Hebrew word dabar, which includes the meanings "to speak, say, commune, to speak together, to arrange in order, to lead flocks to pasture, to direct people, to subdue, to lay snares, to plot against, to destroy). From this we learn that the words spoken by God not only lead His flock, or people, to safe pasture, but at the same time, sets up plots and snares to destroy the enemy. This dabar Word that leads us is a type of exodus, or "the way or road out of" for God's people who heed it, and the way or road into trouble for those who do not. For me, it was also interesting to see that as God gave many detailed instructions for the building of His tabernacle to Moses, a tabernacle which would play a huge role in the spiritual lives of His people, the LORD immediately followed those instructions with a warning: "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My sabbaths shall you keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you...keep the Sabbath...observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested (sabat - rest, celebrate, sit down and be still, to cease, put an end to, exterminate, destroy, leave, take away, remove, restrain) and was refreshed (napas - take a breath, to be breathed upon, refreshed by a current of air)." (Ex. 31:13, 16-17). The consequences of not keeping the Sabbath holy, as the LORD views it as holy, was death (v. 15). Here is a warning against the first idol presented in this reading portion: the tabernacle. Does that surprise you? It surprised me! The tabernacle was to be a work of the finest craftsmen, who were appointed by God and called by name, who were filled with the Spirit of God, and gifted by God in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship (Ex. 31:1-6). The tabernacle itself was to be constructed of the finest elements including gold, jewels, and expensive dyes and fabrics. The tabernacle would be a prophetic image of the Messiah, the Savior to come. It would be the setting for the priesthood and the atoning and sacrificial power and presence of God, even the throne of God upon the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. However, in doing this appointed work, they were not to forget the Sabbath, and the holiness and power of the Sabbath for rest and refreshing, the power of the Sabbath as a sign (ot - a token, a distinguishing mark, miracles, proof, flag, beacon, a memorial sign of the past and a sign pointing to the future, a sign of the covenant) between the children of Israel and God. The tabernacle tent, and later, the temple building, became an idol to the Israelites. They wrongly felt that they were safe from attack as long as the temple of God, containing the Ark of the Covenant, was in their midst (see Jer. 7:1-2, 4). Creating an idol of the tabernacle/temple was a deception that weakened them, and kept them from seeking the LORD in repentance. Jesus corrected this attitude: "Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice', you would not have condemned the guiltless..." (Mt. 12:6-7). Jesus also shocked His disciples when He said regarding the magnificent temple in Jerusalem that they were admiring: "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." (Mt. 24:1-2). Jesus was zealous for the temple fulfilling prophecy (Isa. 56:7, Jer. 7:11), not for the building's sake, but for what it represented - a house of prayer for all nations, a representation of the spiritual place where a soul could speak to God, and know that he is received (Mt. 21:12-13). The temple Jesus prophesied about here to His disciples was indeed destroyed by the Romans within a generation of Jesus' death and resurrection. The glorious temple that Solomon had built centuries earlier was also destroyed and ransacked by a conquering king from Babylon as prophesied. In our lives, the idolization of the temple may sometimes take the form of an idolization of a church building, or of the work that God has ordained for each of us to do. In these cases, the "work" becomes more important than what the work represents, which is God Himself, and God's fellowship, reconciliation, grace and salvation towards man while there is still time to receive it. In fact, one of the greatest tabernacles ever to exist was not one of the glorious structures, but the plain, personal tent of one man, Moses, which he moved and pitched (nata - outstretched, extend, elongate, bend down, coming down, descending) outside and far away from the camp of the Israelites (Ex. 33:7). So great was this personal aleph-tav-tabernacle (as written in the Hebrew), that whenever Moses entered it to speak to the LORD, all of the Israelites watched him, and they worshipped the LORD from the doorways of their own tents (v. 8-10). To this solitary, personal tent, the LORD descended in a cloud, and spoke to Moses face to face (v. 11). In this personal tabernacle, Moses called upon the grace of the LORD five times, seeking His forgiveness for the Israelites who had sinned against the LORD by worshipping a molded golden calf. The LORD answered Moses' pleas by His grace. (v. 12-17). This tabernacle had no outer glory, but was filled inwardly with the glory and presence of God. These are the temples that we are called to be also (1 Cor. 3:16-17, 1 Cor. 6:19-20). Some of the greatest "works" of the LORD are not accomplished on grand stages, in front of crowds of thousands, but are done in private, where no human eyes can see. The greatest "work" of all was accomplished in a lonely place, also outside the gates of the city, on a cross. In the same vein, we can sometimes "elevate" and take great pride in our own salvation, as if it was the result of an accomplishment of ours! We may fall into the trap of feeling superior to others because of the work of Jesus on our behalf. This then becomes an idol to us, which God brings to our eyes in this week's Sabbath portion. We read for the first time in scripture of the Book in which our names are written as belonging to God. As Moses pleads with God to spare the Israelites, he cries: "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold (referring to the golden calf)! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin - but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written." (Ex. 32:31-32). Moses was willing to give up his own eternal relationship with God if the people of God could not be spared. The apostle Paul expressed a similar thought as he desired with all his heart to see his own Jewish people accept the Savior and Messiah, Jesus: "...I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites..." (Rom. 9:2-4). Who gets removed from the Lamb's Book of Life is up to the Lord, not us, but would we ever be able to lay our own salvation on the line for the salvation of others? Do we care enough about the salvation of others to even consider doing so? It is unthinkable! The prayers of Moses and Paul were not empty religious words, but heart-felt cries that reflected the cry of God's own heart, and I believe that those prayers were heard and understood by God in that spirit. As we read above, as God gave Moses the detailed plans for the tabernacle and priestly garments, He emphasized that His Sabbath should not be neglected. Here is another idol to many - the Sabbath. What does it mean to God, and what has man decided that it means? Jesus dealt with this idol when He healed, casted out demons, and spoke the truth regarding the Sabbath in the synagogues and temple. The people had made the Sabbath into a religious idol, creating rules, and persecution surrounding it. Jesus said that God was indeed working on the Sabbath, and so He was doing the same works as His Father- works of miracles, and healing: "For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, 'My Father has been working until now, and I have been working...Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." (Jn. 5:16-19). Also, as we saw in the meaning of the word "rest" above, spiritual enemies of man are being exterminated, destroyed, removed, and restrained in the Father's and the Son's "work" of the Sabbath. Jesus didn't break the Sabbath, He embodied the Sabbath, as He saw what His Father was doing on the Sabbath. God intended the Sabbath to be rest and refreshing to man, and as an eternal sign , the meaning of which includes "miracles" as discussed above. The Sabbath is holy because it is a time to stop the ordinary cares and activities of life in order to listen and hear, and look and see the works of rest, mercy and refreshing that the Father is doing, so we, like Jesus, may do the same. It is a sign of His covenant. There is a Lord of, and contained within, the Sabbath (Mt. 12:8), but the Sabbath itself is not lord over man. This is why Jesus also said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." (Mk. 2:27-28). It is unfortunate that the marvelous, true intentions of the Sabbath are ignored, or have become subject to a form of idolatry that elevates man's own interpretations and doctrines, rather than God's. The Sabbath of man's interpretation becomes a form of godliness while denying its power (2 Tim. 3:5). A more obvious idol to our understanding, the golden calf that we heard about above, is found in this week's reading in Ex. 32. Moses had been on the mountain, communing with God for an extended period of time, and the Israelites grew fearful. They said to Aaron, Moses' brother and future high priest: "Come, make us god(s) that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." (Ex. 32:1). The first problem here is that the children o Israel so quickly lost touch with the truth that it was not Moses who brought them out of the land of Egypt, but God (Ex. 20:2, Ex. 29:45-46 and over 80 additional verses). Moses was His prophet, leader, and would become the one who delivers the Word of God to the people of God. With their eyes on Moses, they lost the knowledge of the sovereignty and salvation of God (Ex. 14:13-14). This is a type of idolatry also, isn't it? When Moses was removed from their sight, the people insisted that Aaron make them an idol to take the place of Moses and the God he served. Aaron listened to them, and fashioned a golden calf for them with an engraving tool. Then the people said: "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" (Ex. 32:4). When Moses saw what they had done, he asked his brother, Aaron: "What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?" (v. 21). Aaron blamed the people as being evil, and then lied, telling Moses that he threw their gold into the fire, and the calf just came out by itself (v. 24). The voice and desires of the people became an idol to Aaron, "elevated" above the truth he knew of God. He did whatever they told him to do, even though he knew it was wrong, and called it evil. We see the same today, as churches listen to the voices of the people, even knowing it is evil, rather than the voice and Word of God which saves. Joshua described this voice of the people as "a noise of war", and not in a good way (Ex. 32:17-18). To me, the golden calf, although it may represent a specific pagan god of then and now, really represents the idolatrous worship of the fears and desires of the people. Idols, which are made by man, have no power, as was shown in another portion from our sabbath reading in 1 Kings 18. The prophet Elijah exposed the uselessness of the false gods that Israel had chosen to follow, which were Ba'al and Asherah. He confronted the King, four hundred and fifty of the false prophets who served these gods, and all the people of Israel who had turned to these gods. In the "showdown", the false prophets did all that they could to make their gods answer them, including sacrificing a bull, calling on their gods' names, leaping about, and eventually, out of desperation, cutting themselves until their own blood gushed out, but their gods did not answer (1 Kings 18:25-29). As Elijah set up a sacrifice to the true and only God of Israel, the LORD answered Elijah with fire from heaven that consumed the offering: "Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, 'The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" ( 1 Kings 18:38-39). Establishing and elevating idols of the work of men's hands and ways, or giving way to idols to please the people, may be easy and tempting to do, but they will never testify to the saving power of God. From another of this Sabbath's readings, Psalm 96, scripture says: "For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary (miqdas/qadas - sacred, holy place, hallowed part/sanctify, dedicate, consecrate, prepare, purified)...For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth." (v. 4-6, 13). If you would like to learn more about the worship of God in Spirit and in Truth, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, I want to give a true testimony of Who You are, or how You reign over all creation as the only God. I only want to elevate You and Your name. Cleanse me, Lord, and cleanse my nation, of all idols. There is only one name under heaven by which man may be saved, and it is the name of Jesus, Your only begotten Son. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Who will lead me into all truth, and guard my heart. Let my heart, my mouth and my life be a testimony of You. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Ahabs

I believe that the Lord is about to deal with the Ahabs. Ahab was a very dangerous king. Israel had previously divided into the northern kingdom, called Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah. Ahab was the king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab had married a Ba'al worshipper named Jezebel (meaning "Ba'al exalts, Ba'al is husband, unchaste"). Ba'al was a Canaanite god who was worshipped with human blood, and the sacrifice of children thrown into fire: "Now Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethba'al, king of the Sidonians ("to hunt, to fish, chase, hunt eagerly, lie in wait for, lay snares, to take provision for oneself"), and he went and served Ba'al and worshipped him." 1 Kings 16:30-31 The LORD had compared Ahab to a previous king, Jeroboam, in the above verses. Jeroboam (meaning "the people will contend") had received a prophetic word that he would become king. He was warned in this same prophecy that he must follow the ways of the LORD. Acting on part of the prophetic word to him, Jeroboam began to create strife over the issue of burdensome taxes, and eventually convinced the ten northern tribes to break away from the House of David. The ten tribes then chose Jeroboam as their king. Once he became king, however, he ignored the prophet's warning, and built two temples with golden calves to dissuade the people from going to Jerusalam to worship. Jeroboam also created a priesthood from those who were not Levites and instituted a system of false worship (1 Kings 11:26-40, 1 Kings 12:25-33). So King Ahab, like the earlier King Jeroboam, instituted the false, even demonic worship of Ba'al, including false prophets, of his queen, Jezebel. Ahab clung to his queen because she was effective in attaining for Ahab those things that his covetous heart desired, such as vineyards that belonged to others (1 Kings 21:1-7). Under Ahab's and Jezebel's rule, true prophets of God were persecuted and killed. Ahab detested the true prophetic warnings brought to him, and instead embraced smooth, false prophecies that pleased and flattered him. The LORD determined to draw Ahab into destruction in order to end his reign. The LORD sent a lying spirit to speak out of the mouths of Ahab's prophets to lure him to his death: "And the LORD said, "Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth ("heights, place of illicit worship, seat of idolatry, to exalt or magnify oneself, presumptuous, to be rotten, to be wormy) Gilead (witness heap of stones used to ratify a covenant, hard stony region, to roll away, witness, recorder, testimony, prince, affirm solemnly, give warning, admonish, restore, turn back)?...Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, "I will persuade him." The LORD said to him, "In what way?" So he said, "I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." And the LORD said, "You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out an do so." 2 Chron. 18:19-21 Not only had the LORD chosen the method of Ahab's fall, but also the specific place, Ramoth Gilead, which has a deep and appropriate meaning for this worshipper of idols. However, what the LORD does before His final destruction of Ahab is truly amazing. First, the LORD sends His prophet, Elijah, to bring a heavy word of judgment to Ahab at the very vineyard that Ahab stole from another with Jezebel's help (1 Kings 21:17-24). This prophetic warning of judgment about to fall is one of the most severe Ahab could have received. Ahab and Elijah have had a contentious relationship, but there is no doubt in Ahab's mind that Elijah is a true prophet of God. As a result of Elijah's terrible prophetic declaration, Ahab repents, and the LORD lifts His judgment from off of Ahab!(v. 27-29). This is not the end of the story, however. Another strange event happens, as the LORD deals with Ahab. The king of the southern kingdom of Judah, Jehoshaphat, came to visit Ahab, the king of the northern kingdom. Jehoshaphat was one of the most Godly kings in the history of both Judah and Israel. Why would such a man wish to visit a horror like Ahab? I couldn't understand this, but then I saw how the LORD worked through Jehoshaphat to expose the heart of Ahab, and enact the prophetic judgment that He had declared. Ahab coveted Ramoth Gilead, which was then in Syrian hands. Ahab wanted to take it back under the control of Israel. He asked Jehoshaphat, during that king's visit, to join him in this war. Jehoshaphat then said these event-turning words to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today." (1 Kings 22:5). So King Ahab gathers the prophets and asked them if he should go up against the Syrians to fight at Ramoth Gilead, or should he refrain. Now here comes that lying spirit that the LORD had sent forth previously, and that spirit puts a false prophetic word into the mouths of the King Ahab's prophets. That lying prophetic word tells the king to go up to battle against the Syrians, and he will be successful. However, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah is not convinced. His words offer Ahab another chance to escape the LORD's prophetic judgment, and live, by asking, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?" Being a Godly king, Jehoshaphat has a love and respect for the prophets of God, while Ahab has hated and persecuted them. Ahab admits there is another prophet, but says, "I hate him because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." Jehoshaphat rebuked Ahab for his words, and the prophet of God, Micaiah ("Who is like God?"), the son of Imlah ("whom God will fill up, consecrate, be accomplished, complete, be satisfied, confirm, replenish"), was brought forth. Macaiah warned the kings that he saw all Israel scattered on those mountains, and they will no longer have a shepherd or master. Ahab immediately rejects this true prophetic word. Macaiah then revealed to Ahab that he saw the LORD send forth the lying spirit who was to speak in the mouths of the king's other prophets. The prophet revealed the whole truth to Ahab, in order to try to convince Ahab to listen to the true prophecy of the LORD. However, Ahab ordered the prophet taken to his governor, and also to his son, Joash, and placed in prison with starvation and affliction added. King Ahab has sealed his fate, ignoring all warnings and reprieves of the LORD. Now another strange thing happens. The Godly king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, agrees to go with Ahab into the battle! Why would he do that? Again, the LORD will use Jehoshaphat to prove a point. Ahab told Jehoshaphat that when they go into battle, he would disguise himself, but told Jehoshaphat that was to wear his royal robes. Perhaps Ahab thought this would fool the Syrians into killing Jehoshaphat, while Ahab would be undetected in his disguise. However, it is not possible to disguise oneself from the LORD. He knows exactly who we are, and where we are at all times. The enemy king of Syria gave the following unusual order to his captains, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel." ((1 Kings 22:31). His captains went after Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, but when they realized at Jehoshaphat's cry that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him. An anonymous Syrian soldier, meanwhile, randomly grabbed a bow and shot an arrow. The arrow "happened" to strike the disguised King Ahab, who bled to death in the same public disgrace and shame as prophesied previously by the LORD (v. 32-38). The Ahabs that I believe the LORD is about to remove from their positions will have been warned prophetically and repeatedly. It may not necessarily be by death, but they will be removed. In the days of Ahab, the only way to remove a king was by death. Not so today. The Ahabs of today, as the Ahab of yesterday, will have had the opportunity to be counselled by Godly men placed around them, even men equal to their own stature. Though they might "repent" at a certain point, their idolatrous and covetous character will not, in the long run, heed the warnings repeatedly placed before them. When the LORD brings down these Ahabs, it will be very clear that He specifically targeted them. It will not be able to be interpreted as a coincidence, or freak accident, or occurring because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The challenge for Godly men and women will be to discern the false prophets from the genuine prophets of God, especially concerning the Ahabs. The people of God will have to have their ears tuned to His voice, and their eyes trained upon what God is doing in this hour. The Ahabs will have people of God placed around him by the LORD, but, like Jehoshaphat, those people will have to carefully follow the path that God has set. Our Father is dealing with the Ahabs.