7-19-2015 weekly message
Meditation of the week: psalms 47:1-9
Main scripture: Psalms 46:1-11
Subject: Stand still, and let the Lord be glorified!
         The LORD God commanded the people of Israel not to fear in the midst of the Great Tribulation, but to stand still so that God may be exalted among the heathen. This word is also applied not only to the people of Israel, but to the children of God in this generation, because only God is our refuge and strength.
            This scripture prophesies of the Great Tribulation to be coming to pass unto the people of Israel. Such a tribulation has never been seen in any other generation so far; the earth shall be removed, and the mountains shall be carried into the midst of the sea, waters thereof shall roar and be troubled, and the mountains shall be shaken with the swelling thereof. Even in such kinds of tribulation, the city of God, the holy place of the most high shall not be moves; God shall help her, and that right early.
          Not only environmental disasters, but also the heathen rages, and the kingdoms are moved; then God utters his voice, the earth shall be melted. Then the Almighty God of the hosts will be with them to fight against the heathen that attack Israel, and he will burn all their weapons. And the only one thing that they have to do is to stand still.
            Of the tribulation that the people of Israel have to pass through, prophet Zechariah prophesied; and he also prophesied when such tribulation come to pass:
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south…. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. …And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. “(Zech. 14:1-4,9)
         The prophesy of Zechariah explains about when the prophesy written in Psalms 46 shall come to pass. Through the prophesy of Zechariah, we can see the things that shall happen at the war of Armageddon when the Lord Jesus Christ judge the heathen at his second coming. The LORD God will make all the gentile nations attack Jerusalem. Since God chose Israel as his own people, all the nations have been gathering together persecuting the people of Israel that is to be the people of priest for God in his kingdom. Finally, God will gather them together unto Armageddon to judge them all. Even the people of Israel have to pay for their sins that they rejected their Messiah, and killed him; the half of the city of Jerusalem shall be in captivity under the permission of God. But the city of Jerusalem is promised to be in safety by God. After the final judgment against all the nations, the Lord Jesus Christ shall be king of all the earth; in that day shall be there be one LORD. The reason why God allowed all these things is that God want to be glorified finally among the heathen as testified by the psalmist: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”(Ps. 46:10)
         Long time ago, when God took the people of Israel out of Egypt, he made the army of Pharaoh follow the Israel for him to be glorified after all. Even at that time, God asked the people of Israel, “Stand still”. Moses, the man of God testified of this saying,
And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi–hahiroth, before Baal–zephon.
And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord….And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.”(Ex. 14:8-10, 13-18)
           Yeah! God commanded the people of Israel to stand still for him to be glorified among the Egyptians. God wanted to fight with the Egyptians for them. King David, the servant of God confessed in his psalms saying,
Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.”(Ps. 119:49,50)
Yeah! Our only hope is the word of God that is spirit and life. When we walking in the words of God, we can be protected in his word that is the law of God. This is the very reason why we are supposed to be protected in the whole armor of the word of God in the present world that is reigning by Satan.
          Since Adam and Eve forsake the word of God to follow Satan, there has been no hope in the midst of sin and death and curses without any comfort of God. God had continued to spoke to the world through his servants with patience for 4 thousand years, even his own people have forsaken his words. God had never spoken any word at all four hundred years after prophet Malachi prophesied. The LORD God who was with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden appeared as a man in the earth after all. He was the Word in the beginning; and he was with God; and he was the God the Creator of all things. Only in him was life that was the light of man. He gave the power to be the children of God receiving the eternal life, to whomsoever believes in him, and receive him. God planned to bring forth his children through the Holy Ghost for last two thousand years.
              But God had to allow his children live in the present world under the Satan as Pharaoh, the king of Egypt until he come. The Satan, the prince of the world has been persecuting his people as well as the children of God without ceasing. But God has set a day for him to judge all the Gentile nations that persecute his people as well as his children with patience.
            Whenever the people of Israel were attacked by the heathen the LORD God commanded them to stand still; he also asks the children of God the same message:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”(1Pet. 5:7)
As Moses said unto the people of Israel, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day, ye shall see them again no more forever.”(Ex. 14:13), God gave us a simple word to cast out all our cares unto God; then God can do for us, and only God shall be glorified. When we obey the words of God, we are able to have hope on his words. And even in the midst of tribulation, we are able to live in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. Only to have the hope on the words of God is to obey them.
            God commanded earth saying,
“Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”(Gen. 1:11)
It was done as God said. When we keep the words of God, and walk in them, we can reap the fruits of the words of God. The fruit is to have peace from God even in the extreme tribulation. And when we eat the fruits, and praise the Lord in the midst of God’s help, only the Lord shall be exalted and glorified.
           Just before the Lord Jesus departed the earth, he encouraged his disciple with his final word saying,
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33) Amen! Hallelujah!