Call to Worship: Psalm 68:32 “Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, 33 to Him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice. 34 Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens. 35 You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!”
Songs: Our God - Chris Tomlin
Thrive - Casting Crowns
Jesus - Umobile Worship
Scripture: Psalm 33:1-22
Song: Psalm 34 - The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
All Things Possible - Mark Schultz
Sermon: “The Plans of God”
Closing Song: Haven't Seen It Yet - Danny Gokey
Benediction: Psalm 43:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Job 19:25 “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Psalm 27:13 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
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Sermon: “The Plans of God”
Last Sunday’s sermon entitled “Rescued From Disaster” (February 23, 2020) is the foundation for this journey and is important to read. The theme of our Lenten Journey this year is “The Joy of the Redeemed.” This journey will take us to the Saturday before Easter, which is 46 days in total. The six Sundays before Easter, starting today, will be based on the book of Esther. As I had asked before please read the book of Esther. As I talked about last Sunday, this is the month of Adar on the Jewish calendar, which started last Wednesday. The Jewish people say this month is the happiest month because it talks about the joy that came when the Jews were saved from their enemies. They have a saying, “when the month of Adar comes our joy is increased.” Over the next six Sundays we are going to see why our joy should be increased but at the same time preparing for the increased attacks of the enemy. Right now satan has the church where he wants and doesn’t want that to change. He wants to take you to the place prepared for he and his angels, Matthew 25:41 “into the eternal fire.” The church has turned away from the commands of God and has followed their own way. That’s how satan wants it to stay but by the grace of God the remnant of the church has been allowed to see the deception that has left the church in desolation. Jesus said in Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” So there is great joy and expectation of what God is about to do. Ezra 9:15 “Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.” We have hope that Psalm 12:1 “when the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” So even though the attacks of satan rage around us, we know that the plans of God stand firm. As we read earlier in Psalm 33:11 “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Because of those plans we are filled with joy.
For us we should be very joyful because we know the ending of Esther. Though they didn’t know the ending, they were faithful as God’s plan unfolded around them. Esther 9:1 “On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.” We have great joy and hope because we know that God will do the same for us because we have sought the Lord. We have looked for the narrow door and refused to go through the wide gate no matter the cost. We have repented and turned from our wicked ways and we wait to be clothed with power once again so that we can go to the ends of the earth with the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is important to understand how God’s people ended up in captivity. While listening to this passage, know that the church fits this description also. 2 Kings 17:7 “All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 13 The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” 16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. (People do this all the time by letting their children be taught other gospels and by making the ways of the world more important than God, sports for one.) They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.” 2 Kings 21:14 “I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; 15 they have done evil in my eyes and have aroused my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”
Even Jerusalem fell in the end. 2 Chronicles 36:15 “The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah. 22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.” I read this so that you can understand the backdrop to the book of Esther. The last two blogs talked about God never taking His love away and how this is shown by God leaving a remnant, even though they were in captivity. Through faulty teaching by the church, many do not have a clear understanding of God’s promise to David.
The book of Esther shows us God’s sovereignty and shows us that He will always keep His promise to David and that there would always be a remnant. The book of Esther shows us that we should have great joy as we wait for God’s plan to unfold. Isaiah 54:8 “In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.” Some synonyms for redeemer are deliverer, rescuer, saviour. As we had talked about God’s promise to David over the last two days, it is essential that we understand our disobedience can adversely affect the promises of God. Living how you want, going your own way, picking and choosing what to believe, only leads to disaster. 1 Kings 8:5 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.” Most in the church ignore the word “if.” This is not referring to being faithful to the church you go to but faithful to God’s word. Disobedience will cause God’s promises to be altered but never relinquished / renounced.
Here in the book of Esther we see how God works. So even though the people were exiled, he still cared for them as per his promise to David. Here we see the plans of God come into fruition and that God is faithful to the remnant. Having said that remember there is only a remnant left. In this book we see that there are Jews living in exile in the provinces of this land and in the citadel of Susa where this takes place. Esther 2:5 “Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, 6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.” We saw that King Jehoiachin was taken captive but later released. 2 Kings 25:27 “He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.”
Here in Esther we see once more how God makes a way when there doesn’t seem to be one. He had already prepared a way out for the dreadful event that was going to happen because a man stood firm before God. We will talk more about standing firm for God next Sunday. Our problems can seem insurmountable but with God they are already solved, we just need to wait for His plan to unfold. We must understand as Jesus said in Mark 10:27 “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Just like at the Red Sea and at the Jordon, God made a way when there wasn’t one. Joshua 4:23 “For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” The God we serve says, Isaiah 43:10 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Esther shows us how God’s ways are not our ways. I once heard a sermon where the minister said Mordecai orchestrated this whole thing. Mordecai is a man, God is God, how foolish and ignorant this minister was. Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” In the book of Esther we see God preparing redemption for the Jews. He was putting into motion all the pieces that you would not be able to see until later. Remember this for your own life. If God tells you he knows the plan, he knows the plan! If he tells you there is a plan, that plan will unfold if you wait for Him.
The book of Esther starts off with Queen Vashti being removed and a new queen was sought out. This was a quite a process. Esther 2:15 “Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.” We saw God do this with Joshua also. Joshua 3:7 “And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.” God was definitely with Esther. Esther 2:17 “Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” Yet the king did not know she was a Jew or her family background. Then we see Mordecai in the right place and the right time. Mordecai found out about an assassination plot and reported it to Esther. I’m sure you have heard the saying, “get it in writing!” Here is a case in point. Esther 2:23 “And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hung on the gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.” Now you could say this was by chance but I think not. When God used Cyrus to rebuild the temple, 2 Chronicles 36:22 “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:” Later in Ezra they were being questioned about rebuilding the temple. They had already been stopped before. There was a letter sent to verify this building process as they were actually trying to stop them again. Ezra 5:17 “Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.” The response was even better as more assistance was given for the completions of the temple. Ezra 6:14 “They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.” Psalm 97:9 “For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.” They then ate the Passover and celebrated with joy. There is another case of the first month and the last month of the year. Ezra 6:22 “For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.”
This was not just a fluke that Esther became queen and that Mordecai uncovered a sinister plot. God’s plan of protection was already in place. It can be very easy to only put your faith in what you can see and not in what God is going to do. We have His word right in front of us so that we can see past whatever situation we find ourselves in. If we are faithfully seeking God, we will have God on our side, even if we can’t see it at the moment. God is at work even though you might not see it. In chapter four we see the plot by Haman to destroy not only Mordecai but also the Jewish people. Esther 3:5 “When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.” We will be talking about the arrogance of the enemy on the third Sunday of Lent. Haman then found one and Esther 3:13 “Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.”
So now Haman in his arrogance thinks his plan will come to fruition and he will rid himself of Mordecai and the Jewish people but little does he know God is in charge. Once Esther found out about the plot, Mordecai told her Esther 4:13 “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” God is looking for faithful people to carry out His plans. God’s plans will progress with or with you. After they made the golden calf God said, Exodus 32:9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you (Moses) into a great nation.” David a man after God’s own heart, replaced Saul as king. 1 Chronicles 10:13 “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” Jesus said, Luke 19:40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Mordecai knew this and was faithful even to the point of death. Mordecai would not bow to Haman.
This infuriated Haman even more. Then Haman decided he was going to get rid of Mordecai sooner. He decides to hang him on the gallows the very next morning. I had asked that you read Esther so I’m not giving all the details. Mordecai is doomed, his death certain but that night the king couldn’t sleep. Think back to my example of the preacher with the horrible sermon. Good thing for the perfect timing of insomnia. He decided to have the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign read and finds out that nothing was done for Mordecai. God’s timing is amazing. The king decides to do something of honour for Mordecai and at the same time in walks Haman who was about to ask for Mordecai’s death. The king asks him what he would do and thinking it was for him, laid out the celebration he would have for himself but it wasn’t for him it was for Mordecai. He had to parade Mordecai around on a horse proclaiming, ‘this is what is done for the man the king delights to honour!’” Haman was on his way to ruin because God’s plans are greater than man’s. Yes it may look like there is no way out but God makes a way. I will say it again; God’s timing is perfect.
Let me stop here for a moment. If you think God doesn’t know what he is doing when He says I know the plans I have for you, think again. Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. 11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.” Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” God puts everything in place so that his plan will unfold. Israel did not wait but for those who do, amazing things happen. Psalm 106:13 “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.” The verse I just read in Deuteronomy 32 goes on to say, 5 They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation. 6 Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” Even Job who suffered greatly persevered and said, Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Think about this. Job was faithful and persevered. God then blessed him in the end but look at how his perseverance now affects helps us to persevere. James 5:10 “As an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” Jeremiah 29:10 “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
God uses people for his own purposes to fulfill His plan. Who are we to question God? Ecclesiastes 8:4 “Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?” So even though Joseph was imprisoned, God had a greater purpose. Acts 7:9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.” Psalm 105:16 “He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; 17 and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave. 18 They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, 19 till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true. 20 The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free. 21 He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed, 22 to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers he said Genesis 45:4 “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.” Then Joseph said to his brothers Genesis 50:19 “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Down though the ages God used his servants for His plan. Jeremiah 1:4 “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Stephen was martyred but Paul was saved. Acts 7:55 “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Paul then was sent out Acts 26:18 “I am sending you to the Gentiles, to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” This was said way back in Isaiah. Isaiah 42:6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
God’s plans are beyond what we can even fathom. Man’s plans are limited; God’s plan’s are unlimited. So many times God’s plans are questioned because we humans don’t have full understanding. God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. We must run this race to the end. Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Jesus said Matthew 6:31 “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” God promised us that the Kingdom would come near if we would repent and turn from our wicked ways. We did that so we wait for His promise to unfold. Hebrews 11:1 tells us “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” The problem is we don’t want to trust what we don’t understand or see.
So many Christians only accept the ideas of man. If they can understand it they can accept it but since most don’t know their bibles well enough they really do not understand the ways of God. Most do not know who God is; therefore they do not know Jesus or the Holy Spirit. We need this kind of faith. 1 Kings 18:36 “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Is this kind of faith even possible? The bible says yes. James 5:17 “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” Living by God’s commands is foreign to most people in the church. Waiting on God is almost unheard of in this want it now generation especially when the church teaches to go. They only know what it is to adhere to the rules and regulations of the church. Mark 7:6 “He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
When we step back and trust God, we will see His plan unfold but we must trust him. Just like God saved Esther and Mordecai who risked their lives, God will save His church if we turn from our wicked ways and trust him to keep His promise to David. In the meantime God leads us along His way. Psalm 31:14 “But I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.” Psalm 135:13 “Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. 14 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.”
We are used for God’s purposes not the other way around. Acts 13:36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.” Our journey is about making the name of the Lord known. Esther gives us the hope of the remnant being saved. Jesus gives us the hope that our enemies will be defeated for good. Revelation 5:4 “I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. 9 You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Revelation 18:2 “With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ Isaiah 14:1 “The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob. 2 Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the LORD’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors. 3 On the day the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! 5 The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, 6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. 7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing. 24 The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. 25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” 26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” Isaiah 12:1 “In that day you will say: “I will praise you, LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” Revelation 19:1 “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!”
