MINOR PROPHETS SPEAK TO TODAY
Hammer Your Plowshares Into Swords
for us.They were written down to warn us who New Living Translation (NLT)
live at the end of the age.” 1 Corinthians 10:11
9 Say to the nations far and wide
“Get ready for war!
Call out your best warriors.
Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.
10 Hammer your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere.
Gather together in the valley.”
“Get ready for war!
Call out your best warriors.
Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.
10 Hammer your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere.
Gather together in the valley.”
And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!
12 “Let the nations be called to arms.
Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I, the Lord, will sit
to pronounce judgment on them all.
13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, tread the grapes,
for the winepress is full.
The storage vats are overflowing
with the wickedness of these people.”
Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I, the Lord, will sit
to pronounce judgment on them all.
13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, tread the grapes,
for the winepress is full.
The storage vats are overflowing
with the wickedness of these people.”
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NEWS FLASH! The Muslim Nation(s) speak of fighting against Israel. Many young Muslim men would consider it a singular honor to participate in the liberation of Palestine. They believe that God is leading them to gather to oppose the Jews.
God IS leading them. Scripture indicated the enemies of God are being led by him into the valley of judgment. A judgment that leads to the Day of the Lord, the Day of Judgment. Jews believe this has happen in the past and will happen again to their national enemies. Muslims believe God will be cleansing the land of the apostates - the Jews, the Christians, and the pagans. Christians believe God will destroy all nations that do not bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Few of us realize that that probably includes the current geo-political nation of Israel.
The nations will be judged -- personally and politically -- in that valley. While the relationship between the place of the gathering of the nations (the staging area?) and this valley remains a topic of discussion among humans, scripture is clear that that is a day of God demonstrating his Lordship in a manner that all nations will tremble and believe in His power and reality.
On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that
attack Jerusalem. "And I will pour out on the house of David and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on
me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an
only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On
that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad
Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. … "On that day a fountain will be opened to
the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin
and impurity (Zechariah 12:8-13:1).
God will gather there all nations who oppose Him. We Christians believe that includes the Jews and Muslims because they reject the Deity of Jesus the Christ. But what about America, Europe, Russia, China and all nations to reject God. Joel says it will include all nations where wickedness is overflowing. We stand in danger from that aspect as well -- as the Muslims keep trying to emphasize and point out to us.
Satan may think he is leading the charge. The nations of the world may think they are leading the charge. They may be there as friends of Israel or foes. They may be there to prove there is no God and therefore to destroy religion from the earth. To all and whomever, whatever they may be, like Joel I say:
Hammer your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Train even your weaklings
to be warriors.
Come quickly to the valley of decision!
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Train even your weaklings
to be warriors.
Come quickly to the valley of decision!
For the Day of Lord is, for those of us who believe, the day of our great hope
and for the honor and praise of our God!
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Questions/Discussions For This Week:
1. What group of nations would yours be if God gathered the nations today?
(pro-Israel, anti-Israel, religion destroyer, anti-Christ, those who do wickedly)
2. Does the character of your nation reflect your character in these matters?
3. What is the current political nation of Israel's standing before God?
4. Do your beliefs about the timing of events in the end days reflect the words of Zechariah?
5. Is God saying that it is through war that Israel will finally turn to the Messiah?
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Photo:
plough by Dennis Simpson @ flickr.com All rights reserved by fortytwa42
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