Isaiah Chapters 15-16

Brethren, we're going to turn our attention back to the Book of Isaiah. Today, we're going to take a look at Isaiah chapters 15 and 16. Those two chapters are not terribly long, but there are a number of things I want to discuss with you regarding those two chapters. I want to take a few minutes to give you some material that will help lay a foundation as to what we're going to cover today.

To give you an overview of Isaiah chapters 15 and 16, these two chapters are addressed to the nation of Moab, modern-day Jordan. Terrible devastation is going to be taking place and befall these people at the end of the age, a time when God is punishing Israel and Judah through other nations, a time when God then punishes those nations who punished God's people for their own pride, their own arrogance, and their wrongdoing. One of the things we see with all of this is that our God is a God of justice.

Even when that justice comes at a time, not of our choosing, but God's choosing. It may come much later in the process as we see it going to be taking place with Moab in chapters 15 and 16.

Again, by way of background, for centuries, Moab had been an enemy of Israel. I'm going to give you a few bullet points here. You can write down the notes if you would like. In Israel's wanderings, Moabite women seduced Israel's men. We see that in Numbers 31. I'm going to go through these rather rapidly. In the time of the Judges, Israel was oppressed by Moab for 18 years. We see that in Judges 3. We see that Saul fought Moab, 1 Samuel 14.

David defeated Moab, 2 Samuel 8. And that Solomon was influenced by his wives to build an altar to Moab's God, Chemosh. And we see that in 1 Kings 11. So we see there's a reason for the punishment that's going to come upon Moab at the end of the age, Jordan at the end of the age. We see a date stamp in these two chapters. We find that in Isaiah 16, verses 4 and 5. I'm not going to turn there quite yet. We'll get to that a little bit later in the sermon.

But Isaiah 16, verses 4 and 5 contain a very clear picture of the reign of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Again, just a little more background. The people that we're looking at today are the Moabites and the Ammonites, or descendants of Lot's son Moab and Ben Ami. We see that in Genesis chapter 19.

These peoples, along with the Edomites, live in the east side of the Jordan River in a Dead Sea, where the nation of Jordan is now situated. Ammon on the north, Moab in the middle, Edom in the south. Now, why are we going to take the time to go through Isaiah 15 and 16 when it talks about modern-day Jordan?

What does that have to do with you? What does that have to do with us? Well, there are two very important spiritual lessons we're going to see. One lesson in chapter 15 and one in chapter 16. Those are very important lessons for us to understand. That's why God has that information there for us. But also, in chapter 16, as I made mention last week, in chapter 16 of Isaiah, Petra is mentioned.

And as I mentioned last time, you received a very fine sermon by Ethan May, back in December of 2019. He originally gave that in Beloit in November of 2019, and then gave it here. I'll quote from that sermon in just a couple of moments. But let me get right into now some of the reasons we're going to be studying these two chapters. Let's take a look at Isaiah 15. Let me give you the takeaway. We're going to start with this. There's a spiritual lesson to be learned in Isaiah 15, a very important lesson for us to be learned.

And that is, we see God's compassion being shown in His judgment. God's compassion being shown in His judgment. Now, last Sabbath, I went through and asked the question, how spiritually tough are we? And we took a look at a number of scriptures that talked about the various things we are going to be going through. Persecution, torture, death, imprisonment, all these sorts of things. With that understanding of what will be happening at the end of the age, and what will befall some of our people, perhaps some of us in this room, we need to ask ourselves.

Now, here we are, according to Isaiah 15 and 16, we're at the end of the age. And when you and I, if we're living at this point, we're really close to the kingdom. Really close. Within a matter of a few years. But what's going to be our attitude? We don't want an attitude where our heart turns to stone. It could be easy, brethren. It could be so easy for any of us, as we see various ones, perhaps in this room, who are being falsely imprisoned, perhaps hurt, perhaps tortured, perhaps murdered, as we see people we have fellowshiped with for years. And we see that happening to our brothers and sisters.

It can be really easy for us to become full of anger, full of hatred, where our hearts can turn to stone. And so close to the millennium, so close to the kingdom. So we need to make sure that as we look at God's example, we follow that. And it's going to take a great deal of conversion, brethren, for each and every one of us, to make sure we don't let our hearts turn to stone. Let's take a look at a couple of attitudes, and one we don't want and one we do want. Let's take a look at Matthew 24.

Matthew 24. Here's a frame of mind you and I don't want. But if we're not careful, as we see these things transpiring at the end of the age, if we're living at the end of the age, we can find ourselves feeling like this. And after all we've done to worship God and honor God and obey God, at the very end, if we're not careful, we can lose out. Matthew 24. Talking about God's true church. Matthew 24, verse 9. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

Now notice verse 10. Many will be offended, betray one another, and hate one another. For the neck can happen to any of us. Our hearts can turn to stone. As God is bringing judgment upon our nation, as God is bringing judgment upon the world, it could be so easy for us to look at what's happening and say, Go get them, God!

Sick them! And of course we would be wrong in that. Now, do we want justice? Absolutely. Our God is a God of justice. We want justice. We want things to be done the way God would have them to be done. But again, we have to watch our attitudes in this. And as we take a look at God, who is giving out His judgment, who is bringing these plagues upon planet earth, He's not full of glee. He wishes it wasn't so. And we're going to see that in Isaiah 15. Let's take a look. So that's an attitude we don't want. We see it there in Matthew 24, verses 9 and 10.

Let's take a look at a couple of scriptures that show an attitude we do want. Let's go to Luke 23. Here we've got Jesus Christ, who had been horribly treated, tortured, and murdered. A man who committed no sin. And yet notice His response. He's our ultimate example. Luke 23, verse 34. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

Forgive them, they do not know what they do. Also, let's turn to Acts 7. Acts 7, verses 59 and 60. You know this story well. This is at the end of chapter 7, talking about Stephen, a deacon in the church, a man of God, a man of much faith, much grace, proclaimed the truth of God in that chapter, and he gets martyred for what he was saying. Notice chapter 7 here, of Acts, verse 59. And they stone Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

He knew he was being murdered. He knew his life was flowing out of him. He was about to die. Verse 60. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

So Matthew 24, verse 9 and 10, a frame of mind we don't want. We don't want our hearts turning to stone. Yes, we want justice. But just as God is meeting out justice, God does it with compassion. And we need to, as we're seeing things happen around us, maybe even to ourselves, we need to have the frame of mind that Christ had, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing. The frame of mind that Stephen had when he said, Lord, don't charge them with this sin. Again, that takes a great deal of conversion, brethren. And we all need to be thinking about that and drawing close to God along those lines.

Okay, let's turn now over to chapter 15 of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 15. In terms of historical backdrop here, you've got the king of Assyria, king Sargon of Assyria, who was launching a major campaign against the Arabians. Coming from the north, his army had to march through Moab. As was typical for the Assyrian troops, they conquered, they murdered, they plundered as they advanced. And of course, it didn't help the Moabites to help their cause. They aligned themselves with the Philistines against the Assyrians, and then made the Assyrians even more aggressive and more hateful toward the Moabites.

So let's take a look now, starting here, and we want to notice, and I'm not going to spend a lot of time commenting at every verse, but we're going to kind of see a story flow here. Verse 1, the burden against Moab. So obviously something very heavy. Because in the night, hour of Moab is laid waste and destroyed. Because in the night, cur of Moab is laid waste and destroyed.

Two prominent cities, very quickly taken out of the picture by the invading armies. He has gone up to the temple in Debond to the high priest to weep. Moab will wail over Nebo and over Medaba. On all the heads will be baldness, and every beard cut off. So they go to their false god. They're looking for help. They're looking for some sort of answers to things, and they, of course, get none. Because they're looking to a false god here.

Verse 3, in their streets, they will clothe themselves with sackcloth on the tops of their homes and in their streets. Everyone will wail weeping bitterly. So here we see again, verse 3, it's a time of national mourning. National mourning. Verse 4, Heshban and Iliath will cry out, the boy shall be heard as far as Jehaz. Therefore the armed soldiers of Moab will cry out. His life will be burdensome to him. The military will not be able to help through all of this.

So their god won't help, their priests won't help, their military won't help. Things are very desperate. Verse 5, My heart will cry out for Moab. Now, we're to come back to that and lean on that in a little bit. The various scholars are divided. Some say that's god-speaking. Some say this is Isaiah speaking. I think it's both speaking. I think this is Isaiah speaking for God. And notice, as God is going to pour out this devastation upon this nation, as God is chastening this nation for past sins, as God is bringing justice, notice God's heart here.

My heart will cry out for Moab. Brethren, when the end of the age comes, is our heart going to cry out for those who persecuted us? Again, a great deal of conversion is needed for a time such as that. My heart will cry out for Moab. His fugitive shall flee to Zohar, like a three-year-old heifer. For by the ascent of Leweth they go up with weeping.

For in the way of Horinim they will rise up a cry of destruction, dropping down to verse 7. Therefore, the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up, they will carry away to the brook of the willows. So here in verses 5 and 7 we see a stream of refugees running for their lives, taking whatever they can carry, fleeing from the wrath of the destruction that is raining down upon their nation. Verse 9, For the waters of Dimim will be full of blood, because they will bring more upon Dimon.

The lands upon him who escape from Moab, and then the remnant of the land. So the slaughter is so terrible that Moab's rivers are flowing with blood. And if they go one way to flee, they are hurt as they go a different way. So here we have chapter 15. Again, I wanted to kind of give a flow of what we're looking at here. And what we're looking at here helps that lesson we see in verse 5. Verse 5 is key in terms of what we want to cover in this particular chapter.

My heart cries out for Moab. We see God's compassion shown in judgment. Again, we can ask ourselves, how do you and I relate to that? Let's put a marker here in chapter 15. We'll be coming back. Let's take a look at some other scriptures. Let's go to Matthew 9. Again, we want to emulate God's thinking. As we prepare for the end of the age—and, brethren, the reason I've been giving sermons like this recently is I think we are beginning into the time of sorrows. I really believe that. I don't think the whole world being sent to their room is any kind of coincidence.

I don't think that, as was inferred in the message we heard in the sermonette, that I think Satan loves the fact that he can scatter God's people and not allow them to get together physically. Now, we're together with Zoom, and some of us are together here. But I think Satan is enjoying the fact that our numbers are down. Because he feels if he can divide us, he can conquer us. Through all of this, we need to make sure we have our hearts in the right place and we're watching and looking to our great God in his example.

Matthew 9, verse 36. But when Christ saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. Jesus Christ was compassionate on those people in the world.

You know, I gave a sermon years ago at the feast, and I asked the question in the introduction to the sermon at the feast, Do you love the world? And of course, I paused at that point, and I realized people were probably writing down certain scriptures about loving the world. But I hadn't finished my question yet. The full question was, Do you love the world as God loves the world? Yes, God is going to bring judgment. God is going to bring justice. But God also is compassionate as he does this. Jesus Christ, as he saw the multitudes, were full of sin. He had compassion on them. Chapter 23 of Matthew. Matthew 23.

In verse 37. Matthew 23, verse 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. Obviously, justice needed to be done. Judgment needed to come. Crime has been committed. Sin has been committed. Consequences have to be dealt with. And yet, notice the response here of Jesus Christ in my Bible, all red lettering. How often I wanted to gather your children together as the hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. So yes, in the midst of this judgment and justice, we see a God of compassion. Rather, we don't want to allow our hearts. When things go really, really bad, we don't want our hearts to turn to stone.

Hebrews 12. Let's turn there. Hebrews 12 is a set of scriptures verses that we look at as Christians, and explicitly this is what it's talking about. But I believe there's more here than that in terms of a principle. Hebrews 12.

Here we're talking about how God chastens His sons. Now, you and I are sons and daughters spiritually, aren't we? But all humankind, by creation, are God's children. We understand that. There's no doubting that. And from that point of view, let's take a look at Hebrews 12. God's not calling everybody, as we're well aware. That doesn't mean God isn't working with everybody right now. As God is going to correct and bring His judgment on the world, God is also laying a foundation for them to be taught later on, whether they live on into the millennium or brought up in that second resurrection. Hebrews 12. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as the sons. My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him, for whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives. Now, yes, explicitly this is talking to us. But I also believe, brethren, that as God chastens the world, He is preparing them for repentance down the road. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father doesn't chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate, not sons. God here is showing His compassion. He's showing His mercy. He's showing the fact He wants to work with all human beings. Furthermore, verse 9, we have had human fathers who corrected us. We paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they, indeed, for a few days chasten us to seem best to them. But He for our prophet, is God only wanting those of us who are called in this age, the first-roots? Is God only wanting us to profit? Or is God wanting all of mankind to profit, to learn? But He for our prophet, we may be partakers of His holiness. And that is exactly what God has in mind down the road, when God opens their hearts and minds. Now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present but painful. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. And this is what our great God wants. He wants all mankind to understand the truth. He'll do it in stages. He'll do it each in their own time and is best for them. But this is God's ultimate for everybody to learn the peaceable fruit of righteousness. If that means there needs to be a spanking, so be it. So even in a terrifying judgment at the end of the times, the heart of God is full of love, full of compassion for those He's going to correct. Full of love and full of compassion. 2 Peter 3 2 Peter 3 Again, we typically think of this regarding we as Christians, and certainly we should. But again, I think we can take a look at this in terms of all mankind.

2 Peter 3 and verse 9, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise of some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, toward all human beings, once they receive their calling. Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. This is God's heart. This is God's mind. So in Isaiah chapter 15, I think we learn a very important lesson about God's compassion being shown in times of judgment, as He's meeting out judgment, as He's meeting out justice. Of course, we need to make sure we are guarding our hearts and minds so we don't become like what we saw there in Matthew 24 verses 9 and 10, where our hearts are hardened. Okay, let's turn our attention now to Isaiah 16. Isaiah 16. I'm not going to read the first four verses quite yet, but in Isaiah 16, the first four verses, there's an indication here about a location, a place of protection for God's church. You know, brethren, when I was making mention to you that I wanted to give a sermon asking the question, how tough are we spiritually, I realized that right after that I wanted to come back with Isaiah chapter 15 and 16. There's a method to my madness. There's a reason I give the sermons I give and the order I give them. You know, we talked about last week about the fact that not everybody is going to be spared. Well, I think we need to give equal weight to the fact some will be spared. Some will be spared. And at this point, I'd like to quote from Ethan May. I was telling him I'm not going to give him any royalties or anything like that. He gave a sermon back, you know, last year, end of last year, about a year ago. I figure it's public domain, and so I can use the material, but I will give him credit. At the beginning of Ethan's sermon, he gave what he called some basic ground rules. And I think it's worth repeating those ground rules. The message, if you've not heard it, was very well put together, very well organized, a lot of great research done. And I really appreciate these four ground rules I'm about to give you that he gave you about a year ago. Number one. The place of safety isn't the goal. The goal is the kingdom of God. Let's keep that in mind. The place of safety isn't the goal. The kingdom of God is the goal. Number two. Spiritual salvation takes precedence over physical salvation. The place of safety is not guaranteed for all Christians. Some will be martyred. We talked about that last week enough. I don't need to keep on going through that. And number four. It isn't wrong to desire to escape the great tribulation. We're not a congregation of masochists. We don't mind avoiding that if we can all avoid that. So what is a great spiritual lesson here? And these are my thoughts now. What is a great spiritual lesson for Isaiah 16? The spiritual lesson to be learned here is that our faith is in the rock, Jesus Christ, not in Petra, a physical location. Our faith is in Christ the rock, not in Petra, the physical location. Brethren, we must always keep our footing based in the spiritual, not in the physical. Speculation about how and where God will protect His people during the coming great tribulation and day of the Lord. That's always interesting. That's always fascinating. However, it's not important that we know these answers in advance. God will give us the information when we need it, on a need-to-know basis. So before I actually get into the chapter, let's take a look, let's drill down on this idea that our faith is in Jesus Christ the rock, not in Petra, the location. Letter A.

What is important is that we keep our hope and faith in Jesus Christ. We keep our hope and faith in Jesus Christ. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians 10.

1 Corinthians 10.

Let's start in verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I don't want you to be unaware that all of our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses, in the cloud, and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Christ was the one who protected them. Christ was the one who guided them. Christ was the one who was the pillar of cloud, the pillar of fire. Christ was the one who opened the Red Sea. Christ was the one in the wilderness where they received the manna and the water. Let's keep our minds on that hope and faith on God that God will lead, guide, direct us.

If God didn't, it would be fairly easy to send a nuke into Petra and just blow the whole thing up. Let's be honest. Psalm 18. Psalm of David. Let's go over to Psalm 18. David has been being persecuted, and as he's being persecuted, notice what he says. And of course, those of us, those of you, whoever, as we go to a place of safety, to avoid persecution, there will be some persecution before we go to a place of safety. But, well, I'm reading the wrong place. I've got to go to Psalms here. That was in Isaiah. Psalm 18, verse 2. The Lord is my rock, in my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Now, those are all powerful descriptors of what Jesus Christ, the true rock, does for us. The rock who is, it says, my fortress. Sure, Petra is an interesting place, but Christ is our fortress. He is the one who delivers us. He is our strength. In Him we will trust, not in some place over in Jordan, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. This is where we place our hope, our faith, in Jesus Christ. And certainly over here in Matthew, chapter 16.

Matthew, chapter 16.

Matthew, chapter 16, verse 18.

And I will say to you that you are Peter. You are the Patreous. You are the small piece of stone, a small rock. And on this rock, on this great massive rock, on this Petra, talking about Jesus Christ, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. There is our salvation. There is our strength. There is our fortress. There is our protection. So let's not be thinking that, boy, we've got to get to Petra because that's it. Because that's not a right way to be thinking about this whole situation. Letter B, as we drill down to our faith being in Christ the rock and not in Peter the physical location. Letter B, Christ's consistent teaching is our primary focus should be on spiritual preparedness.

Our proper spiritual bearings we should be preparing spiritually. Spiritually. Let's look at 1 Thessalonians 5.

1 Thessalonians 5.

Verse 2, 2 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so this day should overtake you as a thief. 3 You are all the sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 4 Let us prepare spiritually for these dark times that are descending upon mankind. So yes, there is a place of safety. Yes, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be there. But again, let not that be the primary motivating factor in our hearts and minds.

Now, with that in mind, let's turn to Isaiah 16.

Isaiah 16.

Isaiah 16. 1 Send the Lamb to the ruler of the land. From Selah. From Selah means rock. That place today is known by the Greek name, the same meaning, Petra. So here the Scriptures talk about Petra in the wilderness.

Verse 3 Take counsel, execute judgment, make your shadow late the night in the middle of the day. Hide the outcasts. Who are the outcasts? Well, they're God's people. Do not betray him who escapes. Let my outcast dwell with you, O Moab. Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler. So here we've got an alludes to a place of safety called Petra.

It alludes to the fact that outcasts will be hidden, and they'll dwell there and be protected.

Now, let's add to this some other Scripture. Let's go to Revelation 12.

Revelation 12. Starting here in verse 14. Revelation 12, as Mr. Armstrong always said, is an inset chapter, giving us an update about the church and talking about the church and going through church history in a very brief way. Revelation 12, starting here in verse 14.

But the woman, again, context, God's church, but the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness, to her place. To her place. Now, this same phraseology was used when Israel left Egypt. Israel didn't leave Egypt on a 767. They walked. But the idea here, the inference here, the way this phrasing is used in Scripture on the wings of a great eagle is that God is going to help these people leave and give them access to being able to leave. But notice, to go to her place, where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time from the presence of the serpent. So here we see three and a half years where the church is in her place where she's nourished for those three and a half years. And of course, the three and a half years represent the time of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. The Great Tribulation is the last three and a half years before the return of Christ. The Day of the Lord, year for a day, the Day of the Lord is that last year of that three and a half year period. The last year before Christ returns is the Day of the Lord. Verse 15, so the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman. So Satan's coming after the church, just like Pharaoh came after Israel as they left Egypt, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman.

God was there to intervene. The earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood, which the dragon spewed out of its mouth. So here's an extraordinary prophecy telling us that God's people will be given protection from the presence of Satan. That God's people will be nourished in a very special setting. Let's go back to Revelation 3.

Revelation 3, verse 10.

Talking to the church in Philadelphia, a godly church, Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. The hour of trial refers to the very end of our present age. God's people understand because they have been faithful, some will be protected. Not all. We saw plenty of scriptures last week. You've seen them yourself on many, many occasions, where there is a future martyrdom of saints that will take place. So some of us will go to a place of safety, some of us will not. And it isn't necessarily those who are martyred, have to be really bad Christians. The apostles were great Christians. They were martyred. Paul was a great Christian. He was martyred. You know, it's up to God as to why God does what God does. Let's take a look at Isaiah. See some other prophecies here. Isaiah chapter 26.

Isaiah chapter 26, last two verses of the chapter.

Isaiah 26 verse 20. Come, my people, enter your chambers and shut the doors behind you. You know, language of a place hidden. Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment until the indignation is passed. Until the indignation is passed.

You know, talking about God as God is going to do what He's going to do. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood and no more cover her slain. So we're talking here about that time at the end of the age when God rolls up His sleeves, gets involved, and yet it says here that God's people are to go someplace and shut the doors behind them and hide. And hide. Go forward to chapter 33 of Isaiah.

Isaiah chapter 33 verse 15.

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from seeing evil. So here we're looking at people who are God's people who are trying to live by God's ways. He will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. Alluding to Petra. Bread will be given him. His water will be sure. Isaiah 33 verse 16. Bread will be given him. His water will be sure. Our needs will be taken care of. Just as God took care of Israel as they were in the wilderness, God will take care of us wherever we're at. And if there's... I think Ethan did quote Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong says, if it's not Petra, we don't know where it's at. And that's very much a true statement. But wherever it is, and if it is Petra, God's going to take care of us there. Verse 17 is interesting. Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. We have speculated, and I'll just term it that way, a speculation, that maybe this is also alluding to Daniel chapter 9, the 70 weeks prophecy. In that 70 weeks prophecy, you've got that 70th week where the covenant is confirmed for one week. We see where the Messiah is cut off in the midst of the week. Well, Jesus Christ was crucified on a Wednesday. Jesus Christ was crucified after three and a half years of ministry. That leaves another three and a half years. Interesting that that three and a half years may be the end three and a half years where Christ comes, and as Christ taught Paul in Petra, maybe—and again, we're speculating here, we'll label it as such— maybe before we're resurrected, Jesus Christ comes to the Church of God in a place of safety for three and a half years and gives us His final instruction. As a church, we've looked at it either that way, or perhaps the second way, that that three and a half year period where the covenant is confirmed may be the first three and a half years after the return of Jesus Christ. Those are two different ways of looking at that. And again, we're speculating as we look at that. Let's turn to Zephaniah. This will be the last scripture of the day. Zephaniah 2.

Zephaniah 2. Let's take a look at the first three verses here.

Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation! Now, who's that? Well, the world is wanting to kill off Christians. The world's going to call—you know, the phrase that was used was not this last election, but the election before—the undesirables. Well, the undesirables, talking about conservative people, that's a church. O undesirable nation! Christ's church is described as a spiritual nation, a holy nation, in 1 Peter 2, verses 9 and 10. So here we're looking at, O undesirable nation, well, that's God's church there. Before the decree is passed, or the day passed like a chap, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you, that last year before the return of Christ, seek the Lord all you meek of the earth. So this helps explain, verse 1, the undesirable nation. Who of appellate is justice, seek righteousness, seek humility, it may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Again, a reference to a place of protection for some of God's people. A place of protection for some of God's people. Now, there are some other things I can go through here, brethren, but I'm not going to. It is important for us, as we take a look at Isaiah chapter 15 and verse 16. Chapter 15 and chapter 16, to learn those two very important lessons. As we head into the end of the age, as persecution comes our way, as imprisonment, and lack of justice comes our way, as martyrdom comes the way for some. For us, as God begins to have his judgments take place on the earth, and justice is being meted out. It's important for us in our hearts, in our minds, to make sure we follow God's lead. And as that was going against the nation of Moab, and as Isaiah said how much in verse 5, chapter 15 and verse 5, how we mourned and how we wept for the people. As Christ said, Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing. We need to make sure that's more our thinking than our hearts having been turned to stone. And we don't really care anymore. We need to be compassionate people, even in the most difficult of circumstances. And the second lesson we learn in chapter 16 is our faith is always in THE rock. Our faith is always in Jesus Christ, not a physical location.