Isaiah 14
Promise of restoration of Israel verse 1- 2
For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob
and will yet choose Israel
and set them in their own land
and the strangers shall be joined with them
and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob
And the people shall take them – and bring them to their place
and the house of Israel shall possess them
in the land of the LORD
for servants and handmaids
and they shall take them captives
whose captives they were
and they shall rule over their oppressors
Judgment on Babylon verse 3- 8
AND it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD
shall give you rest from your sorrow
and from your fear
and from the hard bondage wherein
you were made to serve
That you shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon
and say
How has the oppressor ceased !
the golden city ceased!
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked
and the scepter of the rulers
He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke
he that ruled the nations in anger
is persecuted and none hinders
The whole earth is at rest – and is quiet
they break forth into singing
YEA – the fir trees rejoice at you
and the cedars of Lebanon – saying
Since you are laid down
no feller is come up against us
Babylon in grave verse 9- 11
Hell from beneath is moved for you to meet you at your coming
it stirs up the dead for you
even all the chief ones of the earth
it has raised up from their thrones
all the kings of the nations
All they shall speak and say to you
Are you also become weak as we?
Are you become like to us?
Your pomp is brought down to the grave
and the noise of your viols
the worm is spread under you
the worms cover you
Lucifer judged for sin of pride verse 12- 17
How are you fall from heaven
O LUCIFER – son of the morning
How are you cut down to the ground
which did weaken the nations
for you have said in thine heart
I will ascend into heaven
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation
in the side s of the north
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
I will be like the most High
YET you shall be brought down to hell – to the sides of the pit
they that see you shall narrowly look upon you
and consider you SAYING
Is this the man that made the earth to tremble
that did shake kingdoms
that made the world as a wilderness
and destroyed cities thereof
that opened not the house of his prisoners?
No burial for Lucifer verse 18- 21
All the kings of the nations – even all of them – lie in glory
everyone in his own house
BUT you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch
and as the raiment of those that are slain
thrust through with a sword
that go down to the stones of the pit
as a carcass trodden under feet
You shall not be joined with them in burial
because you have destroyed your land – and slain your people
the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned
Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers
that they do not rise – nor possess the land
nor fill the face of the world with cities
False worship center will be no more verse 22- 23
FOR I will rise up against them
says the LORD of hosts
and cut off from Babylon the name
the remnant – the son
the nephew – says the LORD
I will also make it a possession for the bittern
and the pools of water
and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction
says the LORD of hosts
Judgment on Assyrian people verse 24- 27
The LORD of hosts has sworn
saying
Surely as I have THOUGHT – so shall it come to pass
AND as I have PURPOSED – so shall it stand
THAT I will break the ASSYRIAN in MY land
and upon MY mountains tread him under foot
THEN shall his yoke depart from off them
and his burden depart from off their shoulders
This is the PURPOSE that is PURPOSED upon the whole earth
and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations
For the LORD of hosts hath PURPOSED – and who shall disannul it?
AND HIS hand is stretched out and who shall turn it back?
Isaiah receives another burden verse 28
In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden
Judgment of Palestina verse 29- 32
Rejoice not you – whole Palestina
because the rod of him that smote you is broken
for out of the serpent’s root
shall come forth a cockatrice
AND his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent
AND the firstborn of the poor shall feed
and the needy shall lie down in safety
and I will kill thy root with famine
AND he shall slay thy remnant
Howl – O gate
cry – O city – you – whole Palestina – are dissolved
for here shall come from the north a smoke
and none shall be alone in his appointed times
What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation?
That the LORD hath founded Zion
and the poor of HIS people shall trust in it
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:3 “I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger – Those who rejoice in My exaltation.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). קדשׁ qdš to be holy, removed from common use, subject to special treatment, -BDB
Devotion: Sometimes when the way is rough and the discipline we feel as children of God is apparent in our lives we question how God can use the wicked or unrighteous people to punish us. God uses various means to punish sin, and will judge those nations who are arrogant against His covenant people. These messages against nine sinful Gentile nations or cities around Judah were probably not written for them to read. The messages were probably to be read by God’s covenant people to show that God actually will judge Israel’s enemies. (John A. Martin, “Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1058.)
Wicked nations and individuals are used by God to teach His children tough lessons when they are disobedient. The issue we need to be reminded of is that God does not forget their sins or wickedness. While it may appear that the enemies of God are prospering, He does not forget or excuse them.
Isaiah refers to them as sanctified ones in verse 3 and literally that is what they are, set apart to accomplish the work of God for a set time. God is not mocked and His justice will be meted out to all people justly.
CHALLENGE: When it appears that the unrighteous are overcoming the saints remember that God knows what He is doing even when we do not! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. (2605 “whole” [kole] means all, totality, everything, entirety, completely, or of every kind.)
DEVOTION: When I repair things they are not totality repaired. I try but that is not my gift. I make things work the best I can but I have an older son who can put things back together and they work right. I can look at something that needs to be done and try to figure how to do it and then start and it is going in the wrong direction. I can’t even read instructions that come with some things right.
God looks at HIS creation and said that it was GOOD. In fact, one time HE stated that it was VERY GOOD. God doesn’t make any junk is a statement that was made by one evangelist that I know. When God makes something it is right. God created the world. God created the angels. God created man. All three are distinct creations that God created.
When Satan fell one part of HIS creation fell. When Adam and Eve fell into sin two more parts of creation were ruined by that sin.
Here we find that there is going to be a time in the future when a remnant of God’s people is going to break forth into singing. HE is going restore HIS creation to the point that it will rejoice with man. The trees are going to sing.
Remember Christ stating on Palm Sunday that if the people didn’t cry out in praise the rocks would. Creation is waiting for the day of its restoration. It is coming. It will be a time of rejoicing like the world has never seen before.
It is necessary for our to practice praising the LORD now before we have to learn something new when HE returns. No true believer should live his life with a long face. There should be joy in his heart that manifests itself on the face of all believers.
CHALLENGE: Look in the mirror and see if you have informed your face that it should manifest joy in serving Jesus. No Christian should look like they have sucked sour lemons!!!
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: 13 “For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). [lebab /lay·bawb/] translated miscellaneously nine times. 1 inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding. 1A inner part, midst.James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995).
DEVOTION: Pride and arrogance can manifest itself in many ways. Here the king of Babylon is exalting himself to a position of deity. While this was a common issue for royalty in the ancient times it never the less positioned himself as better than everyone else. This pride became evident as he reflected in his heart. Perhaps no one else could see the pride and position he had for himself but God could and did. God challenges the king and us when we become lifted up within ourselves and consider our self as better than others. The Scriptures remind us that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Pr. 16:18) As the king learned, God knows the thoughts of our heart!
CHALLENGE: We need to be careful what we think in our hearts as God sees there as clearly as man sees the outward. Remember what the Proverbs states, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.” (29:23) (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand. (3289 “purposed” [ya’ats] means to advise, consult, give counsel, devise, plan, or determine.)
DEVOTION: There are three verses in this chapter that use this word in relationto the LORD of hosts – this verse, 26, 27.
The LORD has determined the fates of Babylon, Assyria, and the Philistines. HE has stretched out HIS arm to complete HIS promise. Who can stop HIS arm from performing its task??? HE thinks about what HE is going to do and performs it.
Part of the section dealing with the nation of Babylon calls the king, Lucifer. Is this talking only about a king of Babylon or the power behind the actions of the king?
Many scholars feel this is stating the reason for the fall of Satan. He was a created angel before the foundation of the world. He fell because of pride. He thought he could be equal with God. The king of Babylon had the same thoughts.
Many people today think they have the power to rule without God. They think that they are a god unto themselves. Nebuchadnezzar thought that he should be worshiped. He set up a golden image that he commanded all the people in Babylon to worship. At the sound of the musical instruments all were to fall down and worship or they would be thrown into the fiery furnace.
Well three men didn’t bow down. He gave them a second chance and they still wouldn’t fall down and worship the image. They were thrown into the furnace but when the king looked in there were four men walking around in the furnace. It was a miracle of God. The true God of the universe wanted him to know that HE even controlled the flames around the three men. Did he learn his lesson? The answer is no!!! God had to speak to him a second time and then he learned his lesson.
Some follow a religion that teaches that the God of the Bible is not the true God. One day they will face this God that they thought did not exist. Lucifer had to face HIM. He lost!!
Remember that the LORD is long-suffering but HE will judge in the future regarding those who have lived for themselves instead of for HIM. The only standard HE will use is their relationship with Christ. All those who have no relationship with HIM will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
CHALLENGE: We need to get into our thick skulls that God is working HIS plan in our world and we just have to follow HIS lead.)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Proverb verse 4
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 3, 5, 22- 24, 27, 32
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 13
Most high verse 14
LORD of hosts verse 22- 24, 27
Purposed verse 24
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Lucifer (Satan) verse 12- 15
I will ascend into heaven verse 13
I will exalt my throne above the stars
of God verse 13
I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregations in the sides of
north verse 13
I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds verse 14
I will be like the most High verse 14
Will be brought down to hell
to the sides of the pit verse 15
Stars of God (Good angels) verse 13
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Strangers verse 1
Servants verse 2
Handmaids verse 2
King of Babylon verse 4, 22
Sceptre of the rulers verse 5
Ruled the nations verse 6, 26
Cedars of Lebanon verse 8
Kings of the nations verse 9, 18
Assyrian verse 25
Palestina verse 29, 31
Firstborn of the poor verse 30, 32
Messengers of the nations verse 32
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Oppressors verse 2, 4
Wicked verse 5
Evildoers verse 20
Iniquity verse 21
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Mercy verse 1
Chosen verse 1
Inheritance verse 2
Rest verse 3
Singing verse 7
Purpose verse 26
Trust verse 32
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jacob verse 1
Israel verse 1, 2
Land of the LORD verse 2
King Ahaz verse 28
Zion verse 32
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Hell verse 9
Grave verse 11, 19
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QUOTES regarding passage
The picture in Isaiah 14:1–23 is that of a mighty monarch whose pride brought him to destruction. This is what happened to Belshazzar when Darius the Mede captured Babylon in 539 B.C. (Dan. 5). Isaiah described the king’s arrival in sheol, the world of the dead, where the king’s wealth, glory, and power vanished. The dead kings already in sheol stood in tribute to him (Isa. 14:9), but it was all a mockery. Death is the great leveler; there are no kings in the world of the dead. “Lucifer” (v. 12) is Latin for “morning star” and suggests that this king’s glory did not last very long. The morning star shines but is soon swallowed up by the light of the sun.
The prophet saw in this event something far deeper than the defeat of an empire. In the fall of the king of Babylon, he saw the defeat of Satan, the “prince of this world,” who seeks to energize and motivate the leaders of nations (John 12:31; Eph. 2:1–3). Daniel 10:20 indicates that Satan has assigned “princes” (fallen angels) to the various nations so that he can influence leaders to act contrary to the will of God.
This highest of God’s angels tried to usurp the throne of God and capture for himself the worship that belongs only to God (Matt. 4:8–10). The name “Lucifer” (“morning star”) indicates that Satan tries to imitate Jesus Christ, who is “the bright and morning star” (Rev. 22:16). “I will be like the Most High” reveals his basic strategy, for he is an imitator (Isa. 14:14; 2 Cor. 11:13–15). Like the king of Babylon, Satan will one day be humiliated and defeated. He will be cast out of heaven (Rev. 12) and finally cast into hell (20:10). Whether God is dealing with kings or angels, Proverbs 16:18 is still true: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (NKJV). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (pp. 44–45). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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14:12 Fallen from heaven is a figure of speech meaning cast down from an exalted political position. Jesus said, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades” (Luke 10:15), and apparently with the same meaning, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). The name for Lucifer in Hebrew literally means “Day Star,” or the planet Venus. The poetic language of this verse describes the aspiration of this brightest star to climb to the zenith of the heavens and its extinction before the rising sun. This is an apt summary of the failed goal of the king of Babylon (v. 4), who wanted to grasp universal and eternal domination. Tertullian, Milton, and others have linked this passage to the career of Satan on the basis of Luke 10:18, but the text does not specifically make this connection. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Is 14:12). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
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14:12 heaven. The scene suddenly shifts from the underworld to heaven to emphasize the unbridled pride of the king and Satan energizing him. star of the morning. Tradition of the time saw the stars as representing gods battling among themselves for places of preeminence.
14:13, 14 I will. Five “I wills” emphasize the arrogance of the king of Babylon, and of Satan, from whom he takes his cue. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 14:12–13). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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12. How art thou fallen from heaven. A new image is presented here. It is that of the bright morning star; and a comparison of the once magnificent monarch with that beautiful star. He is now exhibited as having fallen from his place in the east to the earth. His glory is dimmed; his brightness quenched. Nothing can be more poetic and beautiful than a comparison of a magnificent monarch with the bright morning star! Nothing more striking in representing his death, than the idea of that star falling to the earth!
Lucifer. Marg. ‘Day-star’ (הֵילֵל hēlēl, from הָלַל hâlăl, to shine). The word in Hebrew occurs as a noun nowhere else. In two other places (Ezek. 21:12; Zech. 11:2), it is used as a verb in the imperative mood of Hiphil, and is translated ‘howl’ from the verb יָלַל (yâlăl), to howl or cry. Gesenius and Rosenmüller suppose that it should be so rendered here. So Noyes renders it, ‘Howl, son of the morning!’ But the common translation seems to be preferable. The LXX. render it, ‘Εωσφόρος, and the Vulgate, ‘Lucifer, the morning star.’ The Chaldee, ‘How art thou fallen from high, who wert splendid among the sons of men.’ There can be no doubt that the object in the eye of the prophet was the bright morning star; and his design was to compare this magnificent, oriental monarch with that. The comparison of a monarch with the sun, or the other heavenly bodies, is common in the Scriptures.
Son of the morning. This is a Hebraism (see Note, Matt. 1:1), and signifies that that bright star is, as it were, the production, or the offspring of morning; or that it belongs to the morning. The word ‘son’ often thus denotes possession, or that one thing belongs to another. The same star in one place represents the Son of God himself; Rev. 21:16: ‘I am—the bright and morning star.’
Which didst weaken the nations. By thy oppressions and exactions, rendering once mighty nations feeble. (Barnes, A. (1851). Notes on the Old Testament: Isaiah (Vol. 1, p. 271). London: Blackie & Son.)
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These words cannot apply to any mere mortal man. Lucifer (the light-bearer) is a created angel of the very highest order, identical with the covering cherub of Ezekiel 28. He was, apparently, the greatest of all the angel host and was perfect before God until he fell through pride. It was his ambition to take the throne of Deity for himself and become the supreme ruler of the universe. Note his five “I wills.” It was the assertion of the creature’s will in opposition to the will of the Creator that brought about his downfall, and so an archangel became the devil! Cast down from the place of power and favor which he had enjoyed, he became the untiring enemy of God and man, and down through the millennia since has exerted every conceivable device to ruin mankind and rob God of the glory due to His name. It is of him our Lord speaks in John 8:44. The Lord there shows that Satan is an apostate, having fallen from a position once enjoyed, and we know from other Scriptures how he ever goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The Cross was the precursor of Satan’s doom, but he is determined to wreak his vengeance upon mankind so far as he can before his own final judgment takes place, because his heart is filled with hatred against God and against those whom God loves. We know from other passages that Lucifer was not alone in his rebellion (2 Pet. 2:4), and our Lord speaks of “the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41), and this is confirmed in Revelation 12:7, where we read of the coming war in heaven between Michael and his angels, and the dragon and his. These evil angels are the world-rulers of this darkness (Eph. 6:12, literal rendering). They seek to dominate the hearts and minds of the rulers of the nations, stirring them up to act in opposition to the will of God. Therefore we need not be surprised to find in the next verses of our chapter that the king of Babylon seems to be, as it were, confounded with Lucifer. The actual meaning, of course, is that he was controlled or dominated by him.
His downfall is described:
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be Joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord. I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts (verses 16–23).
This passage is highly poetical, but describes in no uncertain terms the utter destruction of the last great enemy of Israel in the Day of the Lord. See also Ezekiel 31:16–18. All the glory of the warrior and the pride of world conquest end in utter destruction. None who has dared to rise up in pride and arrogance to defy the living God has ever been able to escape the inevitable result of his folly.
In the Assyrian of the last days, we see as it were the incarnation of all the persecuting powers who have distressed Israel since their dispersion among the Gentiles. (Ironside, H. A. (1952). Expository notes on the prophet Isaiah. (pp. 88–90). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, &c.] This is not to be understood of the fall of Satan, and the apostate angels, from their first estate, when they were cast down from heaven to hell, though there may be an allusion to it; see Luke 10:18 but the words are a continuation of the speech of the dead to the king of Babylon, wondering at it, as a thing almost incredible, that he who seemed to be so established on the throne of his kingdom, which was his heaven, that he should be deposed or fall from it. So the destruction of the Roman Pagan emperors is signified by the casting out of the dragon and his angels from heaven, Rev. 12:7, 8, 9 and in like manner Rome Papal, or the Romish antichrist, will fall from his heaven of outward splendour and happiness, of honour and authority, now possessed by him: O Lucifer, son of the morning! alluding to the star Venus, which is the phosphorus or morning-star, which ushers in the light of the morning, and shews that day is at hand; by which is meant, not Satan, who is never in Scripture called Lucifer, though he was once an angel of light, and sometimes transforms himself into one, and the good angels are called morning-stars, Job 38:7 and such he and his angels once were; but the king of Babylon is intended, whose royal glory and majesty, as outshiniug all the rest of the kings of the earth, is expressed by those names; and which perhaps were such as he took to himself, or were given him by his courtiers. The Targum is, “how art thou fallen from on high, who was shining among the sons of men, as the star Venus among the stars.” Jarchi, as the Talmud, applies it to Nebuchadnezzar; though, if any particular person is pointed at, Belshazzar is rather designed, the last of the kings of Babylon. The church of Rome, in the times of the apostles, was famous for its light and knowledge; its faith was spoken of throughout all the earth; and its bishops or pastors were bright stars, in the morning of the Gospel dispensation: how art thou cut down to the ground; like a tall tree that is cut down, and laid along the ground, and can never rise and flourish more, to which sometimes great monarchs and monarchies are compared; see Isa. 10:18, 19; Ezek. 31:3; Dan. 4:10, 22 and this denotes that the king of Babylon should die, not a natural, but a violent death, as Belshazzar did, with whom the Babylonish monarchy fell, and never rose more; and this is a representation of the sudden, violent, and irrecoverable ruin of the Romish antichrist, Rev. 18:21: which didst weaken the nations! by subduing them, taking cities and towns, plundering the inhabitants of their substance, carrying them captive, or obliging them to a yearly tribute, by which means he weakened them, and kept them under. So the Romish antichrist has got the power over many nations of the earth, and has reigned over the kings of it, and by various methods has drained them of their wealth and riches, and so greatly enfeebled them; nay, they have of themselves given their power and strength unto the beast, Rev. 17:12, 13, 15, 17, 18. Several of the Jewish writers observe, that the word here used signifies to cast lots; and so it is used in the Misna, and explained in the Talmude; and is applied to the king of Babylon casting lots upon the nations and kingdoms whom he should go to war with, and subdue first; see Ezek. 21:19–23. The Targum is, “thou art cast down to the earth, who killedst the people:” a fit description of antichrist, Rev. 11:7 and 13:7, 10, 15. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, pp. 86–87). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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FACEBOOK TEMPORARILY BANS FRANKLIN GRAHAM FOR “HATE SPEECH” (Friday Church News Notes, January 4, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “After Facebook apologizes for ban,” Fox News, Dec. 31, 2018: “Evangelical leader Franklin Graham accepted Facebook’s apology and suggested the social network come up with a standard based on ‘God’s word’ after the tech company mistakenly banned him for 24 hours last week over a 2016 post about HB2, North Carolina’s controversial ‘bathroom bill.’ ‘I was defending our governor and the state on HB2. It was a good law. If you disagree with [Facebook’s] position on sexual orientation, you can be classified as hate speech,’ said Graham in an exclusive interview on Fox & Friends Sunday. In a post to his Facebook page, Graham said the social network is ‘trying to define truth. They’re making the rules and changing the rules. Truth is truth. God made the rules and His Word is truth. Actually, Facebook is censoring free speech. The free exchange of ideas is part of our country’s DNA.’ A Facebook spokesperson told Fox News the 2016 post was removed by mistake after one of its 15,000 content moderators decided that it violated the tech giant’s ban on ‘dehumanizing language.’ The post and Graham’s page have since been restored. ‘I accept Facebook’s apology and I appreciate them stepping up and doing that,’ Graham said, but he questioned why the tech giant would censure such an old post. ‘I think it was just really a personal attack towards me.’ Facebook came under fire late last week after one of its employees leaked more than 1,000 pages of documents detailing its content moderation policies and how it polices speech on a global scale. Critics have said the company wields too much power and has made mistakes in determining whether something is hate speech or part of a country’s mainstream dialogue. … In March 2016, North Carolina’s General Assembly passed HB2, which reversed a Charlotte ordinance that … allowed transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond with their gender identity, but the HB2 eliminated local ordinances statewide that expanded protections for LGBT people.”
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CHINESE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS TRACKING SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH ELECTRONIC UNIFORMS (Friday Church News Notes, January 4, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Chinese schools make pupils wear,” The Telegraph, Dec. 26, 2018: “Schools in southern China are forcing children to wear uniforms embedded with computer chips that track their movement and trigger an alarm if they skip class. More than 10 schools in Guizhou province and the neighboring autonomous region of Guangxi are now requiring students to wear ‘intelligent uniforms’, according to the state-run newspaper The Global Times. Two chips, sown into the shoulders of school jackets, can sustain around 500 wash cycles and temperatures of 150 degrees Celsius … The uniforms allow teachers and parents to track students’ movement, sending out an alert if they are not present in a lesson. Facial-recognition scanners at school gates match the chips with the correct student, meaning that any who try to swap jackets in order to bunk off will be caught. … In June 2016, China’s Ministry of Education touted the ‘digitalisation of education’ in its Five Year Plan, calling for the development of ‘smart campuses.’ Earlier this year, Chinese media reported that a school in Hangzhou was using facial scanners to track if students were paying attention in class, while another school in the same province uses a facial-recognition system when serving children lunch in the cafeteria.”
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Genesis 6
Man rebels and faces God’s judgment.
INSIGHT
Faith is believing what God has said, not merely hoping for something. It is not like wishing upon a star when, if you believe hard enough, your wish will come true. Faith is trusting God’s Word.
God told Noah to build an ark and save himself from the coming deluge. Noah had never seen an ark, but he believed God and was obedient to what he knew (Genesis 6:22). He believed the Word of God and acted on it. That’s faith.
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Be Continually Being Filled
“For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15)
This prophecy of the angel Gabriel, bearing as it does a tremendous testimony to the character of John the Baptist, contains the first reference in the New Testament to the unique Christian doctrine of the filling of the Holy Spirit. John was the first Christian witness, directing his own disciples to Christ (John 1:35-37) and clearly preaching the gospel of salvation through Christ alone (John 3:26-36). It is significant that he was filled with the Holy Spirit all his life. Jesus is also said to have been full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) and was undoubtedly so filled from the time of conception (Psalm 22:10), but the explicit statement is made only of John.
The fullness of the Spirit is available for every believer, of course. In the New Testament, both of John’s parents were said to be so filled on a specific occasion (Luke 1:41, 67). The disciples of the Lord were filled with the Spirit many times (Acts 2:4; 4:31; 13:52). Peter was said to be filled with the Holy Spirit on at least one special occasion (Acts 4:8), and Paul at least twice (Acts 9:17; 13:9). One of the qualifications sought in the first deacons was that they were to be men full of the Holy Ghost (Acts 6:3), and one of those chosen, Stephen, was specifically so described (Acts 6:5; 7:55). Barnabas was another Spirit-filled Christian believer (Acts 11:24). Undoubtedly there were many others. In fact, every believer is commanded to be “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The reference in this key passage is not to a one-time event, but to frequent fillings. “Be continually being filled” is the literal rendering. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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We are getting so well-rounded and so broadly symmetrical that we forget that every superior soul that has done exploits for God was considered extreme and in many cases even deranged. We talk aobut the saintly John Wesley, a learned Oxford man and founder of the Methodists, but we forget that he was such a fiery apostle that they used to throw eggs and rocks at him. His clothes looked fine when he went out but when he came back he needed a tailor. Wesley never put poise and adjustment and respectability above that urgency within his soul to make Christ known with all of HIS saving and keeping power! (p. 60, I Talk Back to the Devil by A. W. Tozer)
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