The holy spirit warning

THE HOLY SPIRIT WARNING
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Nehemiah9:30 30Formany years you were patient
with them. By your Spirit you warned them through
your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you gave
them into the hands of the neighboringpeoples.
Nehemiah 9:30, ESV: "Many years you bore with them and warned them by
your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore
you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands."
Nehemiah 9:30, KJV: "Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and
testifiedstagainstthem by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give
ear: therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the people of the lands."
Nehemiah 9:30, NASB: "'However, You bore with them for many years, And
admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, Yet they would not
give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands."
Nehemiah 9:30, NLT: "In your love, you were patient with them for many
years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still
they wouldn't listen! So once againyou allowedthe peoples of the land to
conquer them."

Nehemiah 9:30, CSB:"You were patient with them for many years, and your
Spirit warned them through your prophets, but they would not listen.
Therefore, you handed them over to the surrounding peoples."
This text is bad news, but if we read on we see God's grace and mercy to His
people.
9:31 Nevertheless forthy greatmercies’ sake thoudidst not utterly consume
them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
The people sincerely repented and soughtthe mercy of the Eternal. WE must
do likewise, to see the salvation of the Eternal.
9:32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who
keepestcovenantand mercy, let not all the trouble seemlittle before thee, that
hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on
our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the
kings of Assyria unto this day.
9:33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done
right, but we have done wickedly:
9:34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy
law, nor hearkenedunto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith
thou didst testify againstthem.
9:35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great
goodness thatthou gavestthem, and in the large and fat land which thou
gavestbefore them, neither turned they from their wickedworks.
IF we sincerelyrepent; then the Great Godof Many Tender Mercies, will
forgive and acceptus; indeed he is standing at the door knocking for
admittance into our lives! (Rev 3:15-22).
Goodnew can prevail, but the fact is, they were warned and suffered the
negative consequencesofrefusing to listen to the Holy Spirit. We are focusing
on that warning in this study.

BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Divine DescriptionOf A Sinful Life
Nehemiah 9:19-27
J.S. Exell
I. THAT THE SINFUL LIFE IS FAVOURED WITH THE DIVINE
FORBEARANCE. The sins of the people were pride (ver. 16), disobedience
(ver. 17), idolatry (ver. 18), murder (ver. 26), provocation, obduracy. "Yet
thou in thy manifold mercies forsookestthem not in the wilderness" (ver. 19).
1. This forbearance is merciful.
2. This forbearance is considerate. In the wilderness it is so much needed.
3. This forbearance is unrecognised. See the obduracy of sin.
II. THAT THE SINFUL LIFE IS FAVOURED WITH ALL THE
BENEFICENTMINISTRIESOF HEAVEN. "The pillar of the cloud
departed not from them" (ver. 19).
1. The sinful life has light.
2. The sinful life has guidance.
3. The sinful life has spiritual instruction (ver. 20). See the ingratitude of sin.
III. THAT THE SINFUL LIFE IS SUSTAINED BY THE KIND
PROVIDENCE OF GOD (ver. 21).
1. Suitable.
2. Continuous.
3. Sufficient.

4. Various. See the wilful blindness and ingratitude of sin.
IV. THAT THE SINFUL LIFE OFTEN EXPERIENCESGREAT
TEMPORALPROSPERITYAT THE HAND OF GOD (ver. 22).
1. Possession.
2. Multiplication.
3. Conquest.
4. Plenty. Yet the goodness ofGoddoes not lead to repentance.
V. THAT THE SINFUL LIFE IS ALSO DISCIPLINED BY AFFLICTIVE
PROVIDENCES(ver. 27). In all this see the Divine effort to awakenthe
sinner. - E.
Biblical Illustrator
Nevertheless theywere disobedient, and rebelled againstThee.
Nehemiah 9:26-29
Provocations andpunishment
Lilly Butler.
I. HOW JUSTLY WE MAY BE CHARGED, AS THE JEWS IN THE TEXT,
WITH HAVING WROUGHT GREAT PROVOCATIONS. This will be
manifest if we consider —
1. To what a prodigious height all kinds of iniquity are raisedamongstus.
Atheism, infidelity, blasphemy, intemperance, impurity, commercial
immorality.
2. What engagements we are under to abstain from all transgressionsofthe
laws of God.

3. That our sins have been committed againstthe most prevailing attempts of
the Spirit of God to restrain and reclaim us from them.
4. That our sins have been committed againstmany and greatmercies.
5. That our sins have been committed againstthe discipline of God's rod and
those many judgments He hath sentto teachus righteousness.
II. THAT WE HAVE GREAT REASON TO FEAR THAT OUR GREAT
PROVOCATIONS MAYBE PUNISHED BY GOD AS THOSE OF THE
JEWS WERE. Conclusion:What is the most effectualmeans to prevent the
punishment our greatprovocations threatenus with?
(Lilly Butler.)
And testifiedstagainstthem, that Thou mightest bring them again unto Thy
law
God's laws
F. S. Webster.
Some years ago I was enjoying a ramble on the PortsdownHills, a favourite
resortof the Portsmouth people, and commanding a delightful view of the sea.
They are all open to the public, except a few places which are carefully fenced
off. Are these the most luxurious spots, where the grass is softestand the moss
most green? No, indeed, these are the broken and precipitous parts, where
serious accidents might occur. God's laws are just like these fences. God's love
has placedfences there to keepus from hurting ourselves.
(F. S. Webster.)
Dangersignals
In travelling along our greatrailroads we pass many signalstations. In
connectionwith eachof these there is a man appointed, one of whose duties it
is to see that the way is clear. If a bridge should be broken, or any obstruction

is on the road, he is expectedto ring a bell, wave a flag, or make a signalof
some kind, so that the driver of any train coming along the road may know in
time to stop his train before any harm is done. And the flag the man waves, or
the signalhe puts out, is the warring given to approaching trains to save them
from injury. In the journey that we are pursuing through this life we are sure
to meet with many dangers. The Bible is the guide-book which God has given
us to use on the journey. And the warnings found in this book are the signals
to tell us of the dangers that lie along our path in order that we may avoid
them. We cannot be safe in our journey through the world unless we are
careful to mind these warnings.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Nehemiah 9:30
"However, You bore with them for many years, And admonished them by
Your Spirit through Your prophets, Yet they would not give ear. Therefore
You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
Adam Clarke Commentary
Many years didst thou forbear - It is supposedthat Nehemiahrefers here
principally to the ten tribes. And many years did God bear with them; not less
than two hundred and fifty-four years from their separationfrom the house of
David, till their captivity and utter dispersionunder Shalmaneser;during the
whole of which time God invariably warned them by his prophets; or, as it is
here said, by thy Spirit in thy prophets, which gives us the true notion of
Divine inspiration. God's Spirit was given to the prophets; and they testified
to the people, according as they were taught and influenced by this Spirit.

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Nehemiah9:30". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/nehemiah-
9.html. 1832.
return to 'Jump List'
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Yet many years didst thou forbear them,.... Throughout the reigns of several
kings, such was God's longsuffering towards them: or, "thou didst draw upon
them"; that is, his mercy, as Jarchi interprets it; he drew it out of his heart,
and prolongedit towards them:
and testifiedstagainstthem by thy Spirit in thy prophets; who reproved and
admonished them, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God in them, who
spoke in his name, and what he suggestedto them:
yet they would not give ear; to what the prophets said, and the Spirit of God
in them:
therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the people of the lands: people
that were lords of many countries, as the Assyrians and Chaldeans.
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855

Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Nehemiah 9:30". "The New John Gill Exposition
of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/nehemiah-9.html. 1999.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Nehemiah 9:30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst
againstthem by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear:
therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
Ver. 30. Yet many years didst thou forbearthem] Heb. Protractover them;
or, draw out thy lovingkindness toward them to the utmost.
And testifiedstagainstthem] As Nehemiah9:29. They wanted not for
warnings or wooings, with, Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem!wilt thou not be
made clean? when shall it once be?
Yet would they not hear] But as sea monsters or catadupes, or men born in a
mill, or as one that is running a race;give him never so goodcounsel, he
cannot stayto hear it.
Therefore gavestthou them] As uncounselable incorrigible.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography

Trapp, John. "Commentary on Nehemiah 9:30". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/nehemiah-
9.html. 1865-1868.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Didst thou forbear them, i.e. thou didst delay to bring upon them those
judgments which thou hadst threatened, and they had deserved, and didst
wait for their repentance.
By thy spirit in thy prophets; by thy prophets, who shake to them by the
inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, whom therefore they should have obeyed.
Yet would they not give ear, i.e. would not obey them, nor would they
vouchsafe so much as to hear them.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Nehemiah 9:30". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/nehemiah-9.html. 1685.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
30. Forbearthem — Margin, protract over them. An elliptical expressionfor
prolonging one’s mercy or kindness. Compare the fuller form in Psalms
36:10;Psalms 109:12;Jeremiah31:3.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Nehemiah 9:30". "Whedon's Commentary
on the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/nehemiah-
9.html. 1874-1909.
JosephBenson's Commentaryof the Old and New Testaments
Nehemiah 9:30. Many years didst thou forbear them — Thou didst delay to
bring upon them those judgments which thou hadst threatened, and they had
deserved, and didst wait for their repentance. And testifiedstagainstthem by
thy Spirit in thy prophets — Who spake to them by thy divine inspiration,
whom therefore they ought to have obeyed. Yet would they not give ear —
That is, would not obey them, or even vouchsafe so much as to hear them.
Therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the people of the lands — At last
God delivered them into the hands of the Chaldeans, who are calledthe
people of the lands, because they got possessionof all the neighbouring
countries, which God put under their power, as he had other countries beyond
the Euphrates.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Benson, Joseph. "Commentaryon Nehemiah 9:30". JosephBenson's
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/nehemiah-
9.html. 1857.

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
Years, 254;during which time God had not ceasedto recallhis people to a
sense oftheir duty, but all in vain.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Haydock, George Leo. "Commentaryon Nehemiah 9:30". "George
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/nehemiah-9.html. 1859.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
in = by the hand of; "hand" put by Fig, Metonymy (of Cause), App-6, for the
ministry or agencyof the prophets.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Nehemiah 9:30". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/nehemiah-9.html. 1909-
1922.

Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedstagainstthem by thy
spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavestthou them
into the hand of the people of the lands.
many years
Psalms 86:15;Romans 2:4; 2 Peter3:9
forbear them
Heb. protract over them. testifiedst.
2 Kings 17:13; 2 Chronicles 36:15;Jeremiah7:25; 25:4
by thy spirit
20; Isaiah63:10;Acts 7:51; 28:25;1 Peter1:11; 2 Peter1:21
thy prophets
Heb. the hand of thy prophets. therefore.
Isaiah5:5,6; 42:24; Jeremiah40:2,3;44:22; Lamentations 2:17; Zechariah
7:13
Let us Bow before our Maker
Author: Ray C. Stedman
Readthe Scripture: Nehemiah 9:1-37

The ninth chapter of the book of Nehemiah records the longestprayer in all
the Bible. Perhaps you do not like long-winded prayers and are nervous about
this one.
There is a greatstory about D. L. Moodywho once asked a certainbrother to
pray at a service in the Chicago Church. The man beganto pray and was still
droning on after ten minutes had gone by. Finally, Mr. Moody stoodup and
said, "While our dear brother is finishing his prayer, let's turn to number 342
and sing it together!" This prayer in the book of Nehemiah is not that long,
but it is a greatmodel prayer which will teachus much for our own praying.
The first two verses recordthe occasionwhenthis prayer was uttered. It
follows the celebrationof the FeastofBooths, or Tabernacles, whichwas
observedin Israel for the first time for many years, following the recoveryof
the city of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the walls, the resetting of the gates,
and the restoring of order and some degree of prosperity to the city. That was
a time of celebrationbut this occasionsounds a different note, as we see in the
opening verses of Chapter 9:
On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gatheredtogether,
fasting and wearing sackclothand having dust on their heads. Those of
Israelite descenthad separatedthemselves from all foreigners. They stoodin
their places and confessedtheir sins and the wickednessoftheir fathers.
(Nehemiah 9:1-2 NIV)
This is clearly a time of soberself-judgment. It is a time when the people
expressedtheir feelings of shame and grief by refraining from eating, by
wearing burlap (sackcloth)and placing ashes on their heads to symbolize their
inner sense of desolation. Theyconfessedtheir sins and their father's sins as
well. They were aware that the evil of one generationis often passedalong to
the next. Many today have forgottenthat this principle still applies. The cause
of this sudden change in the behavior of the Israelites is not given until the end
of this prayer. Let us look ahead to Verses 36-37 whichtell us what it was that
causedthem to mourn and fast, and to confess their sins. Addressing
themselves to God they say:

But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers so
they could eat its fruit and the other goodthings it produces. Becauseofour
sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placedover us. They rule
over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in greatdistress.
Here is a people that recognize clearlythe connectionbetweenthe evil in their
own hearts and lives and the terrible conditions of slavery and bondage in
which they exist.
As we have been noting throughout these studies, this is very similar to our
own times. Today's secularprophets are deeply disturbed by what is going on
in present-day American life. They seemto be saying the same things that
these people are saying. For instance, listen to these words from Brux Austin,
Editor-in-chief of the Texas Business magazine:
We are truly the lost generation, huffing and puffing down the fast track to
nowhere, always looking to the dollar sign for direction. That's the only
standard we recognize. We have no built-in beliefs, no ethical boundaries.
Cheaton your taxes, just don't getcaught. Cheat on your wife, just don't get
AIDS. Simply use a condom.
Then he goes onto look back at the previous generation, as these people in
Nehemiah do.
"Where did I go wrong?" is the traditional wailof parents of kids-gone-
wrong. The eighties version says, "We gave him everything -- clothes, a
computer, a car, a college education." Everything but a conscience. We are
products of a high-tech society;amoralautomatons outfitted with calculating
brains and sleek casings, just like the computers with which we are so
compatible. But they forgot to give us souls.
He concludes by saying,
What goodis lolling in your Jacuzzi in the beautiful backyard of your
breathtaking home if you feel an aching emptiness in your innards -- a chronic
pain that all the wine coolerin the world can't numb?

Those searching words are descriptive also of what we see taking place in this
chapter of Nehemiah. It is of greatrelevance to us. Despite our high-tech
industries, our vaunted freedom from moral restrictions, our Rolexwatches,
Mercedes-BenzesandBMWs, we are really slaves today in America. Slaves in
the land of the free and the home of the brave! What irony!
In this prayer of the Levites in Nehemiah 9 we learn how to recoverfrom that
kind of a situation. What can we, the people of God(as they were the people of
God) do to help change this condition? As we read in these opening verses,
they gatheredbefore God to pray: They fasted. They wept. They askedfor
mercy. They kept it all strictly within the family of Israel. They did not go
outside it to involve foreigners. Theydid not blame others for their plight.
They lookedto themselves and "confessedtheir sins and the wickedness of
their fathers." And they did one other thing, recordedin Verse 3:
They stoodwhere they were and read from the Book ofthe Law of the LORD
their God for a fourth of the day, and spent another fourth in confessionand
in worshiping the LORD their God. (Nehemiah 9:3 NIV)
Three hours of confessionandthen three hours of praise! Thus they presented
their case to God. As we read on we will see that the Levites divided
themselves into two groups. Some were standing on the stairs leading up to
the WaterGate and others were on a platform on the opposite side of the
square. These groups were calling back and forth to the people, one group
confessing the sins of the people, the other praising God in language that fit
the situation at the time.
Standing on the stairs were the Levites -- Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah,
Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani -- who calledwith loud voices to the Lord
their God[these were the confessors]. And the Levites -- Jesuha, Kadmiel,
Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniahand Peterhahiah -- said:
"Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to
everlasting"[thesewere the praise leaders]. (Nehemiah9:4-5a NIV)
We have, then, a kind of antiphonal chorus: one group confessing sin, another
group answering them, extolling the glory, compassionand mercy of God.

The rest of this chapter, from Verse 5 through Verse 37, gives us the actual
words they employ. I want to read it through with you. We will let the text
itself teachus how to confess sinbefore God and how to praise him for his
mercy and grace. It begins with a greatsectionof praise. Verses 5-15 are all
praise to God.
First, God is praised as the Creatorand Makerof everything.
"Blessedbe your glorious name, and may it be exaltedabove all blessing and
praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest
heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and
all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven
worship you." (Nehemiah 9:5b-6 NIV)
That is a greatplace to start when you are praising God. Beginwith the life he
gave you. It seems strange to me that men who are dependent every moment
on life given to them by God, allow themselves so easilyto forget that fact.
We did not create ourselves. We did not fashion this intricate machinery that
sustains our bodies. Did you ever think of all the processesthat are happening
in your body right now that are keeping you alive, over which you have no
control? That pacemakerin your mind that keeps your heart beating, for
instance. You do not controlthat. It would be awful if you had to, wouldn't it?
The diaphragm that keeps you breathing in and out. Wouldn't it be terrible if
you had to lie awake allnight and say, "Now dia, now phragm, now dia, now
phragm, now dia, now phragm!" God sustains us moment by moment. We
ought to be grateful for that. Let us never forgetthat our very breath comes
from him.
Then the next sectionpraises Godas the Callerand Chooserofmen. He is the
One who gives undeserved blessings to those he chooses.
"You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the
Chaldeans and named him Abraham. You found his heart faithful to you, and
you made a covenantwith him to give to his descendants the land of the
Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites[These

were the Canaanite tribes that inhabited the land of Palestine]. You have kept
your promise because you are righteous." (Nehemiah9:7-8 NIV)
God is the keeperofpromises. He is the One who initiates the callof man to
himself. The New Testamenttells us that not one of us would ever seek Godif
he had not first soughtus. It is he who awakensin us feelings and desires to
draw near to him and to find out the truth of where we came from. These
eternal questions that throb in the minds of men and women all over the
world are planted there by the Spirit of God. It is he who calls, choosesand
draws us to himself. Not one of us would be here today if it were not for that
merciful, sovereigncallof God. Jesus said, "No man can come unto me except
my Fatherdraw him." We are here today because the Spirit of God in
wondrous grace has drawn us irresistibly to himself. Then they praised God
as the Delivererfrom sin and its enslavement.
"You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the
Red Sea. You sent miraculous signs and wonders againstPharaoh, againstall
his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the
Egyptians treatedthem. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this
day. You divided the sea before them, so that they passedthrough it on dry
ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty
waters. By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar
of fire to give them light on the way they were to take." (Nehemiah9:9-12
NIV)
This is a retelling of the history of this nation, beginning with the call of
Abraham and their deliverance from Egypt. Some of us are inclined to be
indifferent to history. We should remember the wise words of George
Santayana, the Spanish philosopher: "He who forgets the past is condemned
to repeat it." Many have done that. We have forgotten the lessons Godtaught
us and gone right back to do the same things over again, plunging ourselves
once more into rebellion and slavery. Let us never forgetthat we have been
wonderfully, even miraculously, delivered by the greathand of God.
Last Monday night I reminded my class about a young man who was
subjectedto the mockeryof his friends when he became a Christian. "Do you

believe in all those miracles of the New Testament?" they askedhim. "Yes, I
do," he replied. "Do you believe that one about Jesus changing waterinto
wine?" they demanded. "Yes, I believe that," he said. "How could he do
that?" they asked. The young man responded, "I don't know how, but I
believe it, because at our house he changedbeer into furniture!" When God
changes the heart, all kinds of wonderful deliverances take place.
So the Israelites praise God for his deliverance of their nation. Then they
praise him as the greatProvider of wisdom and the necessitiesoflife.
"You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave
them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands
that are good. You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them
commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.In their hunger you
gave them bread from heavenand in their thirst you brought them water
from the rock;you told them to go in and take possessionofthe land you had
swornwith uplifted hand to give them." (Nehemiah 9:13-15 NIV)
Here is God's providential care of his own. He taught this people how to live
in the midst of greatwickedness.He knew he was sending them into a land
inhabited by tribes who were morally degradedto a degree that is appalling to
us today. They openly indulged in lewd practices. Theyofferedtheir children
to the god Molechby throwing them alive into a furnace of fire. It was among
this people that these Israelites had to live. Yet Godtaught them how to avoid
defilement and contamination from those things. He taught them how to be
friends with these people, but not be destroyedby their immorality.
It is exactly the situation we are calledto live in today. God has given us this
wonderful book that teaches us the rules of life, health, salvation, deliverance
and the inner strength that can resistthe temptations that abound all around
us. To neglectit is folly.
God also supplied their needs. He gave them bread to eat when there was
none. He gave them water from the rock in the middle of the desert. That is
not only an accountof meeting physical needs, but it describes the meeting of
spiritual needs as well. The New Testamenttells us these are pictures of
Christ: He is the bread of life; he is the water of life. As the Israelites learned

the meaning of these symbols they beganto understand that there was coming
One who would fully meet the need of the human heart. Thus they looked
forward and saw the coming of the Messiah.
Now, the confessing grouptakes up the theme and, in the rest of the passage,
we have an alternation betweenconfessionand praise. One groups cries out,
confessing sin, and then the other answers with praise to God.
But they, our forefathers, became arrogantand stiff-necked, and did not obey
your commands. They refusedto listen and failed to remember the miracles
you performed among them. They became stiff-neckedand in their rebellion
appointed a leaderin order to return to their slavery. (Nehemiah 9:16-17a
NIV)
This is the direction rebellion always takes. Whenyou rebel againstGodyou
invariably want to go back to the evil that you once were involved in. That is
what Israeldid. They actually wanted to go back to Egypt, back to beatings
and oppressionby the heavy hand of Pharaoh, back to slaving all day, making
bricks without straw. They forgot all the bondage because they longedfor the
sensualpleasures ofEgypt. That is how rebellion deceives.
But now there follows a wonderful word of praise. It covers the history of
Israelin three divisions: First, the scenes around the Mount of Sinai:
But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to angerand
abounding in love. Therefore you did not desertthem, even when they castfor
themselves an image of a calfand said, "This is your god, who brought you up
out of Egypt," or when they committed awful blasphemies. (Nehemiah9:17b-
18 NIV)
Where did the impression everarise of God as a cruel, stern God, thundering
judgments upon people, demanding that they toe the mark or else be punished
severelyand without mercy? God is always described in the Old Testamentas
a God of loving care. He is compassionate andpatient. He waits while people
go through their trials, hoping they will learn lessons along the way, that they
might return to him so that he can bless them. Even as these people

blasphemed God by creating this golden calfthey called their god, he did not
wipe them out but spared them, as this accountsays.
Verse 19 moves on to the desert and the years of wandering:
Becauseofyour greatcompassionyou did not abandon them in the desert. By
day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar
of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good
Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths,
and you gave them waterfor their thirst. For forty years you sustainedthem
in the desert;they lackednothing, their clothes did not wearout nor did their
feet become swollen. (Nehemiah9:19-21 NIV)
Have you recently lookedback on your life and counted up the providential
care of God in your experience? We tend to take God's blessings for granted
and concentrate ourattention on what we do not have. The media teaches us
that we deserve far more than we are getting. They flash shiny cars before us
and say, "You deserve this. You are the kind of personthat ought to have this.
You deserve to be the president of your company. You deserve to take annual
cruises on the Caribbean. You deserve to have a BMW or a Jaguar -- maybe
two of them. You deserve to live in a beautiful, welllandscapedhome."
But when you turn to the Scriptures you see the other side of it. There we are
brought face-to-facewith what has actually gone on in our lives and in our
hearts. Hidden behind lockeddoors of silence are acts of cruelty, violence,
anger, thoughtlessness, immorality, child abuse, sexual abuse, and other ugly,
miserable, vicious practices. Godhas seenall that. When we face the full
picture as it really is, we learn that we do not deserve anything but death. But
that is not what we get! We do not get death. That is the point. Godis patient
and longsuffering with us. He withholds judgment. He lets us experience some
judgment in order to get our attention, but he does not wipe us out. He is a
compassionate, merciful, caring, loving God. That is what these people are
reminding themselves of.
Then there follows another period of confession, gatheredaround their life in
Canaan, their conquests and achievements by God's hand.

You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest
frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the
country of Og king of Bashan. You made their sons as numerous as the stars
in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to
enter and possess. Theirsons went in and took possessionofthe land. You
subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you handed the
Canaanites overto them along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to
deal with them as they pleased. They captured fortified cities and fertile land;
they took possessionof houses filled with all kinds of goodthings, wells
already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to
the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your greatgoodness.
It is an amazing story! These people had just come out of 400 years of slavery
in Egypt. They had no military training. They were not an aggressivepeople,
and yet they confronted armies of well-trained pagans who were used to
fighting, and swept them away. They took over greatcities and won the land.
This is describing the book of Joshua. Whenthey were finished, they
recognizedthat God had done this and they praised him for his marvelous
goodness to them.
Have you ever thanked God for the victories you have achievedin your life;
your promotions that you did not expectto get;your achievements at work or
in your home? Have you stopped to revel in the goodnessofGod? That is the
right thing to do. Recognize that God is with you. God's hand is in what you
do. Give him glory for that. But the other group now comes in to give us the
other side of the picture.
But they were disobedient and rebelled againstyou; they put your law behind
their backs. Theykilled your prophets, who had admonished them in order to
turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. (Nehemiah 9:26
NIV)
How does God deal with people who treat him like that? After he has blessed
them abundantly and given them so much, what happens when they forgetto
give him glory and turn their backs onhim? The other group tells us:

So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressedthem. But when
they were oppressedthey cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and
in your greatcompassionyou gave them deliverers, who rescuedthem from
the hand of their enemies. (Nehemiah9:27 NIV)
That is the book of Judges -- the story of Israelat last brought under the rule
of strangers for 20, 30, 40 years at a time. Then, as the people would cry out to
God, he would deliver them every time by sending a judge. But it is also clear
from Judges and this accountthat their rebellion led to ugly things, among
them murder and sexualperversion.
Then the confessors come in again, in Verse 28:
But as soonas they were at rest, they againdid what was evil in your sight.
Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over
them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in
your compassionyou delivered them time after time. (Nehemiah 9:28 NIV)
What a marvelous picture of the patience of God! This is the wayGod works.
He lets us taste the results of our evil. He gets our attention sometimes by
letting sickness come ordisasterstrike. But it is only in order that we might
hear what he is saying and be delivered. He warns us in order to keepus free.
One Sunday evening in the '70s we invited the president of the Gay People's
Union of Stanford University to come here and speak to our young people on
the subject: What the Bible says about Homosexuality. We extended to him
the opportunity to defend the position that the Bible endorses homosexuality
as an alternate lifestyle. We told him he could say whateverhe liked and bring
all the literature he wanted. If you were here that night you will remember
that, although this man was the president of the Debating Club at Stanford, he
struggledas he tried to present his case.He would read a passageand then
say, "It really doesn't saythat, does it?" and then he would turn to another
passage. He went all through the Bible trying to prove his cause, but he
floundered and could not get anything together.
We had made an agreementwith him that when he finished one of our young
pastors would speak to the same subject. I remember well how graciously

Steve Zeisler opened the Scriptures and pointed out that when God forbids
something it is not because he wants to limit us or narrow our lives. It is
because he is protecting us from something that we cannot handle, something
so devastating it will eat awayat the vitals of our life and ruin us. We heard
from the Word over and over againhow homosexuality destroys human
beings and turns them into something God never intended them to be.
Eventually they would be lockedinto pain, hurt, misery, loneliness and death.
Out of that episode there came opportunity for us to reachout in compassion
to those who were struggling with homosexualtendencies. We have seena
greatnumber delivered and set free by the mercy and grace ofGod. That is
what this passagedescribes -- the tough love of God who will not let ruin
overtake us without adequate warning. We have the lastdual presentation of
confessionandpraise,
You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogantand
disobeyed your commands. They sinned againstyour ordinances, by which a
man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you,
became stiff-neckedand refusedto listen. (Nehemiah9:29 NIV)
Again they are confessing the mistakes of a previous generation. Theysee
clearly how much of their own agonyand hurt has come from the mistakes
their fathers made before them. But then the praise group comes in:
For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished
them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them
over to the neighboring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an
end to them, or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
There covers the rest of the Old Testament:the story of Israel's subjugations,
first by the Syrians, later by the Assyrians, and finally the Babylonians. God
allowedthese enemies to come in to make his people see what was happening;
to wake them up to the damage being done.
The closing paragraphhere, beginning with Verse 32, brings their history
down to their owntime. Here we find a change of pronouns. They have been

talking about "they" and "them." Now we read about "we" and "our" as
they begin to look at their owngeneration.
Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps
his covenantof love, do not let all this hardship seemtrifling in your eyes --
the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our
priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of
the kings of Assyria until today. In all that has happened to us, you have been
just; you have actedfaithfully, while we did wrong. Our kings, our leaders,
our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention
to your commands or the warnings you gave them. Even while they were in
their kingdom, enjoying your greatgoodness to them in the spacious and
fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.
As we saw at the beginning, they acknowledgethat they are slaves in their
own land and because oftheir own sins.
This is where we find ourselves in America today. Our cities are torn with
violence, strife, and drug wars of such intensity that people hardly dare go
outside their homes. We are slaves in our own land. The only recoveryis to do
as these people did -- confess ourwrongdoing to God and praise him for his
compassionatemercy.
These Levites teachus how to confess.Notice how specific they are. "We did
wrong. You have actedfaithfully but we did wrong. We did not pay attention
to your laws. We did not hear your words, etc." Some Christians think they
are confessing wheythey say,
Lord, if I have injured any soul today,
If I have causedsome foot to go astray,
If I have walkedin my own willful way,
DearLord, forgive.
But that is not confession. There is no "if" in true confession. You do not say,
"If I did this..." You say, "Lord, I did it. I failed. I turned aside. I forgotyour

Word. I walkedin my ownwillful way." Then God hears, forgives and
restores. Thatis his gracious nature. That is what he wants to do.
This word needs little application. We are in the same place today. We see the
same two themes at work -- the rebellion and indifference of men, and the
gracious, loving patience of Goduntil he is at last forcedto take action. He is
waiting to pardon us when the wrong of our lives is faced.
I am not going to diminish the impact of this on individual hearts. I am going
to give an opportunity now for eachof us to sit in quietness before the Lord
and confess directlyto him the sins of our own life and to pray for forgiveness.
Then we shall stand and sing togetherthe words of The Lord's Prayer.
Let us Bow before our Maker
Series:Principles of Reconstruction
Date:February 12, 1989
Author: Ray C. Stedman
THE SPIRIT OF GOD, LESSON 9, NEHEMIAH 9:30
November 11, 2015 by Dr. Mike Bagwell
Yes, we all know the Holy Spirit as the “Comforter.”
But what if I told you He can also be the “Discomforter?”
He can be “for” us as we walk life’s journey, serving the Lord.
But He can too be “against” us, whenwe veer from God’s Will for our lives!
Now let me share today’s verse. “Yet many years didst thou (the Lord)
forbear them (the Jews, Israel), andtestifiedst AGAINST them BY THY
SPIRIT ….” Nehemiah 9:30

The “Spirit” of God … againstthem!
Readthe whole verse now. Formore detail. “Yet many years didst thou
forbear them, and testifiedst againstthem by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet
would they not give ear: therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the
people of the lands.”
Wow!
Some interesting words! “Forbear” (in Hebrew) is “mashak,” meaning such
things as “to drag, to seize, to scatter!”
“Testified” (in Hebrew “ud”) is the word for “repeating” something. God
warned these people againand again!Admonished them, protested their
actions!
The Holy Spirit did these things … in the name of God. “ByThy Spirit,”
Nehemiah quotes!
Note this too. The Prophets preached… the Holy Spirit then soughtto
restrain!
But … because the Israelites wouldNOT heed God’s warnings … Godturned
them over to enemy nations! They lost their freedom!
Needlessly.
Oh, had they only listened when the Holy Spirit testified “against” them!
So now we know … not only can the Spirit be “grieved.” Ephesians 4:30
And not only can He be “quenched.” First Thessalonians 5:19
He also can become “opposed” to a waywardchild of God!
Think about it!
“Yet many years didst thou (Lord) forbear them (Israel), and
TESTIFIEDEST AGAINST THEM BY THY SPIRIT ….” Nehemiah 9:30
Amen.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell
If the Holy Spirit is “against” something you’re doing … better listen! Heed
that first admonition! If not, stricter measures are coming!
CONTEXT
Nehemiah 9:30 "Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst
againstthem by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear:
therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the people of the lands."
Throughout the reigns of severalkings, such was God's longsuffering towards
them. Or, "thou didst draw upon them". That is, his mercy, as Jarchi
interprets it; he drew it out of his heart, and prolonged it towards them.
"And testifiedst againstthem by thy Spirit in thy prophets": Who reproved
and admonished them, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God in them.
Who spoke in his name, and what he suggestedto them.
"Yet they would not give ear":To what the prophets said, and the Spirit of
God in them.
"Therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the people of the lands": People
that were lords of many countries, as the Assyrians and Chaldeans.
God waitedseveralhundred years for them to repent and turn to Him with a
pure heart. He sent prophets to warn them of their evil deeds, and they took
no heed. He waitedabout 260 years for the ten tribes to repent and turn to
Him, but they did not. They went into captivity about 135 years before the
tribe of Judah and Benjamin did. The main difference I saw in this, was the
ten tribes did not have any kings who truly loved God and kept his
commandments, and Judah had a few kings who soughtGod. Eventually,
even Judah got so far awayfrom God, that they were taken into Babylonian
captivity.

Nehemiah 9:31 "Neverthelessfor thy greatmercies'sake thou didst not
utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou [art] a gracious and
merciful God."
For the displaying of that, and the glorifying of it, which is so large and
exceeding abundant.
"Thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them":Some were left in
the land, and those that were carried captive found favor in the eyes of those
that carried them away. And were suffered to live, and many of them now had
returned to their own land.
"Forthou art a gracious andmerciful God":Of which they had abundant
proof and evidence.
God loved them so much, that He always saveda remnant to start again. At
the time this is being spoken, that remnant had come back to Judah to begin
again. Notice, Gods mercy was what savedthem.
Nehemiah 9:32 "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the
terrible God, who keepestcovenantand mercy, let not all the trouble seem
little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on
our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people,
since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day."
“Now, therefore”:Having reviewedthe faithfulness of God to the Abrahamic
Covenant(verses 7-8), throughout Israel’s national history, the prayer picks
up with the present time confessing theirunfaithfulness to (verses 33-35), and
renewedcommitment to the Mosaic Covenant(verses 36-38).
“The kings of Assyria unto this day”: This statement sweeps acrossa
summary of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persiandomination of the nation for
almost 4 centuries up to that time.
The kings of Assyria were the rod of God's anger. They were the instrument
God used to punish the people and make them repent. This was a reminder of
the greatnessofGod. The people must never forget the punishment that came

upon them for their sins. God is merciful and keeps His covenant. It is man
who breaks the covenant.
Nehemiah 9:33 "Howbeit thou [art] just in all that is brought upon us; for
thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:"
They own the justice of God, could not complain of any wrong done them.
And had he shown them no mercy at all, it was but what they deserved.
"Forthou hast done right, but we have done wickedly":He had done
according to the truth of his word of promise. He had faithfully kept it, but
they had transgressedhis righteous law.
This was admitting that as bad as the punishment had been from God on His
people, they had brought it upon themselves by their sins. God had done what
was right. It was the wickedness ofthe people that had brought on the terrible
times.
Nehemiah 9:34 "Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our
fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkenedunto thy commandments and thy
testimonies, wherewiththou didst testify againstthem."
All ranks of men, from the highest to the lowest, had shownno regard, nor
yielded obedience to the holy law of God.
"Norhearkenedunto thy commandments, and thy testimonies, wherewith
thou didst testify againstthem": Moraland ceremonial, which were a
testimony of the will of God to them, and a testimony againstthem if they
observedthem not.
The Israelites were the only people in the world who had been given the law of
God. All they had to do was live by that law. The ten tribes of Israel had no
kings who kept God's law. There were a few like Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiahof
the tribes of Judah that did right in God's sight. Even they were overwhelmed
finally by the sins of the people, and God punished Judah too. Verse 34 is
saying, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Nehemiah 9:35 "For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy
greatgoodness thatthou gavestthem, and in the large and fat land which thou
gavestbefore them, neither turned they from their wickedworks."
When in it, whether of Israelor of Judah, and when in the most flourishing
circumstances.
"And in thy greatgoodness thatthou gavestthem": Amidst all the prosperity
and affluence of goodthings they enjoyed, which was an obligationupon them
to serve the Lord.
"And in the large and fat land which thou gavestbefore them": The land of
Canaan, a land flowing with milk, which lay open for them. Their enemies
being driven out before them (see Neh. 9:25).
"Neitherturned they from their wickedworks":Their idolatries more
especially.
While Israel and Judah were free and were not subjects to a foreign land, they
did not serve God. They had everything and threw it awayin disobedience.
www.bible-studys.org
NEHEMIAH LESSON 10
We will begin this lessonin Nehemiah 9:20 "Thougavestalso thy
goodspirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their
mouth, and gavestthem waterfor their thirst."
This was speaking of the nearly 3 million people being fed for

the 40 years with manna that fell from heaven. The water, spokenof
here, was the waterthat flowed from the Rock. This is, however, the
first and only mention of the Holy Spirit being their instructor, in
the Old Testament.
Nehemiah 9:21 "Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the
wilderness, [so that] they lackednothing; their clothes waxednot
old, and their feet swellednot."
There were so many miracles God had done for them in the
wilderness journey, that we tend to forgetthe miracle of their
clothes lasting 40 years. Notonly did their feetnot swell, but their
shoes did not wear out either. These were really greatmiracles within
themselves.
Nehemiah 9:22 "Moreoverthou gavestthem kingdoms and nations,
and didst divide them into corners:so they possessedthe land of
Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of
Bashan."
We discussedin the previous lesson, how God took the land away
from the 7 nations that lived in the area of the promised land, and
gave it to the Israelites. The land was divided into 12 parts, and

eachtribe receivedtheir part. Sihon was king of Heshbon. Og was the
Amorite king of Bashan. The giants came from this territory.
Nehemiah 9:23 "Theirchildren also multipliedst thou as the stars
of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou
hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess
[it]."
Approximately 75 people went into Egypt, and the nation of
Israel, approximately 3,000,000,came out of Egypt. This was a
tremendous increase. This near 3,000,000people took the land of
promise and dwelled in it, as God had promised.
Nehemiah 9:24 "So the children went in and possessedthe land,
and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the
Canaanites, andgavestthem into their hands, with their kings, and
the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would."
When they went in and took the land, as God had commanded them to
do, God was with them and they won their battles. In most instances,
God had instructed them to kill the people of the lands they
conquered. They never did seemto quite rid the land of the Ammonites,
Moabites, and the other five tribes. The Philistines were a constant

thorn for them, as well.
Nehemiah 9:25 "And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and
possessedhouses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and
oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were
filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great
goodness."
This truly was a land of milk and honey, as God had promised
them. The olive trees and the vineyards were already planted by the
people they overran. The children of Israelwanted for nothing. God
had kept his covenantwith Abraham.
Nehemiah 9:26 "Neverthelesstheywere disobedient, and rebelled
againstthee, and castthy law behind their backs, and slew thy
prophets which testified againstthem to turn them to thee, and they
wrought greatprovocations."
To be blessedbeyond any other nation of the world, there was
only one thing God askedofthem. He askedthem to keepHis
commandments and be faithful to Him. They did not do even that. They
rebelled againstGod. They were disobedient at every turn. Godsent
them prophets to warn them, and they killed their prophets. Isaiah,

Jeremiah, and Ezekielwere all said {by historians}to have been
murdered. They angeredthe LORD by worshipping false gods, as well.
Nehemiah 9:27 "Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of
their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when
they cried unto thee, thou heardest[them] from heaven; and according
to thy manifold mercies thou gavestthem saviours, who savedthem out
of the hand of their enemies."
It seemedto be a never- ending cycle. They would sin againstGod
and bring His wrath upon them. Many times, His wrath was carried out
by them losing a very important battle and losing many men. They would
repent, and God would forgive them. They seemedto never learn. God
sent judges, prophets, and priests to help them. God sent those like
Samsonand David to defeat their enemies. It was all the same. As soon
as they were out of trouble, they returned to their false gods. The
judges, Othniel and Ehud, were spokenof as saviours. When eachjudge
was in control, God would give peace to Israel.
Nehemiah 9:28 "But after they had rest, they did evil again
before thee: therefore leftestthou them in the hand of their enemies,
so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and
cried unto thee, thou heardest[them] from heaven; and many times

didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;"
This is another way of saying the previous verse. It seemednot
to matter how greatthe help had been from God,. they still would turn
againto the false gods after their trouble was momentarily gone.
Notice, Godforgave them because He was merciful, not because they
deservedto be forgiven.
Nehemiah 9:29 "And testifiedst againstthem, that thou mightest
bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened
not unto thy commandments, but sinned againstthy judgments, (which if
a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and
hardened their neck, and would not hear."
All of the wars they lost, and the famines that came, were to
drive them back to the LORD and the law. They were a proud rebellious
people, who felt they did not need the LORD. They did not keepthe
law, and did not even try to know what God's law said. They wanted to
be like the world around them.
Nehemiah 9:30 "Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and
testifiedstagainstthem by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they
not give ear: therefore gavestthou them into the hand of the people

of the lands."
God waited severalhundred years for them to repent and turn to
Him with a pure heart. He sent prophets to warn them of their evil
deeds, and they took no heed. He waited about 260 years for the ten
tribes to repent and turn to Him, but they did not. They went into
captivity about 135 years before the tribe of Judah and Benjamin did.
The main difference I saw in this, was the ten tribes did not have any
kings who truly loved God and kept his commandments, and Judah had a
few kings who soughtGod. Eventually, even Judah gotso far awayfrom
God, that they were taken into Babylonian captivity.
Nehemiah 9:31 "Neverthelessforthy greatmercies'sake thou
didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou [art] a
gracious and merciful God."
God loved them so much, that He always saveda remnant to start
again. At the time this is being spoken, that remnant had come back to
Judah to begin, again. Notice, Gods mercywas what saved them.
Nehemiah 9:32 "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and
the terrible God, who keepestcovenantand mercy, let not all the
trouble seemlittle before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings,

on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our
fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria
unto this day."
The kings of Assyria were the rod of God's anger. They were the
instrument God used to punish the people, and make them repent. This
was a reminder of the greatness ofGod. The people must never forget
the punishment that came upon them for their sins. God is merciful and
keeps His covenant. It is man who breaks the covenant.
Nehemiah 9:33 "Howbeitthou [art] just in all that is brought
upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:"
This was admitting that as bad as the punishment had been from
God on His people, they had brought it upon themselves by their sins.
God had done what was right. It was the wickednessofthe people that
had brought on the terrible times.
Nehemiah 9:34 "Neitherhave our kings, our princes, our priests,
nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkenedunto thy commandments and
thy testimonies, wherewiththou didst testify againstthem."
The Israelites were the only people in the world who had been

given the law of God. All they had to do was live by that law. The ten
tribes of Israelhad no kings who kept God's law. There were a few
like Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiahof the tribes of Judah that did right
in God's sight. Even they were overwhelmed finally by the sins of the
people, and God punished Judah, too. Verse 34 is saying, all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Nehemiah 9:35 "Forthey have not served thee in their kingdom,
and in thy greatgoodnessthat thou gavestthem, and in the large and
fat land which thou gavestbefore them, neither turned they from their
wickedworks."
While Israeland Judah were free and were not subjects to a
foreign land, they did not serve God. They had everything, and threw
it awayin disobedience.
Nehemiah 9:36 "Behold, we [are] servants this day, and [for] the
land that thou gavestunto our fathers to eatthe fruit thereof and
the goodthereof, behold, we [are] servants in it:"
Even though the king of Persia had let them come back to their
homeland to live, they were not out from under his domination. They
still had to pay tribute to him. The children of Israelhad never

really been completely free since then, until 1948. Offand on they
were in the land, but under domination of some other country.
Nehemiah 9:37 "And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom
thou hast setover us because ofour sins: also they have dominion
over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we [are]
in greatdistress."
What God had intended to bless the children of Israelwith, had
in turn, blessedthe kings who they were subject to. The Persianking
was their masteras they were speaking these words.
Nehemiah 9:38 "And because ofall this we make a sure [covenant],
and write [it]; and our princes, Levites, [and] priests, seal[unto
it]."
This was re-establishing a covenantwith their God. They did not
want these same problems to come upon them, again. All of the leaders
would sign this covenant, they had written down promising to seek God
and His ways from henceforth. www.lovethelord.com/

A WARNING MESSAGE From the Holy Spirit for the “Church”
https://lighthascome.com/
Revelation3:14-22 ~
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness,
the Beginning of the creationof God, says this:
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot;
I wish that you were coldor hot.
So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of My mouth.
Becauseyou say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy,
and have need of nothing,”
and you do not know that you are wretchedand miserable
and poor and blind and naked,
I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire
so that you may become rich,
and white garments so that you may clothe yourself,
and that the shame of your nakedness willnot be revealed;

and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline;
therefore be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne,
as I also overcame and sat down with My Fatheron His throne.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Greetings my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I’m prompted to share this Warning Messagefrom the Holy Spirit, that
occurredthis early morning (7-14-16):
==========================================
It was sometime before 4:00am, when I was awakenedby the Holy Spirit who
said to me:
“SUDDEN DESTRUCTION IS COMING. PRAY THEY WILL LISTEN”
In my half-awake, half-asleepstate, I replied: “Bring conviction to their
hearts”.
The Holy Spirit responded:
“THEIR HEARTS ARE HARDENED. THEY ARE ASLEEP.”

I then started drifting back to sleep, when suddenly there was LOUD
THUNDER, followedby a flash of lightening outside of my window, that
shown through the blinds. It was the LORD’s emphasis on this warning.
I then drifted back to sleep.
Around 7:30am, I heard the “PING” sound I getwhen a text messagecomes
through on my cell phone; that sound woke me up, so I decidedto getup.
When I checkedmy cell phone to see who senta message so earlyin the
morning, there was NO message.Thenthe Holy Spirit said:
“IT’S ME. IT’S TIME TO GET UP.”
After praying/pondering this interaction with the Holy Spirit, I understand
now, it’s a warning for ALL who claim to be a “Christian” to WAKE UP and
LISTEN to the Holy Spirit in ALL areas ofour lives.
MOST professing Christians have hardened hearts and are not listening to the
warnings or promptings of the Holy Spirit.
WHEN “sudden destruction” is upon us, MOST PROFESSING
CHRISTIANS will not be prepared spiritually and WILL be heading into
eternal damnation . . . .
. . . . because they do NOT know the LORD in a personal, obedient, In-love-
with-the-LORD way, like the TRUE BRIDE OF CHRIST knows her beloved.
My question to YOU, my professing sibling-in-Christ is this:

ARE YOU TRULY “AWAKE” AND LISTENING TO AND OBEYING THE
LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE?
Remember, we are Ambassadors of Christ. Let’s act accordingly, for the
Heavenly Father IS watching us.
Don't Ignore the Holy Spirit's Warnings!!!!!!
Oh, my. What an end to a TERRIBLE day! (Scroll down to read all about the
earlier mishaps!)
I just receivedYUCKY news. My computer died the week of the "A Woman
Inspired" conference, so I have been without my laptop for weeks. Myfriend,
who had been out of the country, returned and had some time to fix it. It
wasn't as easyas he thought it would be and as it turned out, I LOST all of my
Word documents.
Gone.
Forever.
Years of work.
Devotions.
Documents for my speaking ministry.
Hundreds of documents.
Gone.
No problem, you say because everything was backedup, right?
Nope.

For months now the Holy Spirit had been warning me, whispering to me, to
back up my computer files.
Yes, I will do it.....tomorrow.....nextweek.....whenI have a few more
minutes....whenI have some free time.
So, eachtime the Holy Spirit againreminded me to do this, I put Him off,
assuring Him and myself I would do it.....eventually.
What is that about delayedobedience? Disobedience!And, when we (I) choose
to go our ways, ignore God's warnings, do things in our timing, well.....we(I)
get into trouble!
The Holy Spirit is our Helper. He wants to lead us and guide us. God wants to
help us in our walk. "When we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, lean
not upon our own understanding, then He will direct our steps, straightenour
paths." I should have trusted God, heeding His warning. I should not have
leaned upon MY understanding, stubbornly doing it my own way.
So......IamIMPLORING YOU- don't ignore the Holy Spirit! Listen and heed
that still, small voice within You. Trust in what He tells you.
https://tracyberta.blogspot.com/
WHEN HOLY SPIRIT HAS LEFT YOU! WARNING!
May 22
Postedby Apostle Simon Peter
WHEN HOLY SPIRIT HAS LEFT YOU!
WARNING MESSAGE SIGNS!
~Apostle Simon Gichinga

We are living in a time that was propheciedthat in last days there will be a
falling from faith. Faith is walking in by the Spirit of God. Many people have
fallen in the Spirit but pysically they are still standing. They are still going to
Church while they have fallen and God departed from their lives. It is not a
wonder to hear this, it is happening and you can be a Christian but you have
fallen and walking alone. You canstill be serving ministry without God in
your life!
When the Holy Spirit leaves , He leaves no sign and won’t tell you He is gone!
You may still prophecy, still speak in tongues and receive dreams and still
preach when He is gone! Samsondid not know when the Spirit of Godhad left
him untill he found no more power. When you start feeling no powerto pray ,
no power to serve God, no power to read bible, no fear of God, and sinful life
and so on. Check your self, you might be alone! So investigate your self if you
still have Him.
Saul was filled and God had anointed him , so he walkedwith God but
because ofpride and envy , the Spirit of the Lord left Saul and went to David.
Saul did not release that he was empty, he thought he was still walking with
God. See becauseofSin many Christians including ministers of the Gospel
have been left by Holy Spirit without their attention. They are still worshiping
without Holy Spirit and still performing miracles and working in gifts. You
can still walk in gifts while God is not walking with you. For gifts and calling
are without repentance (Rom 11:28). You canstill stealspeak in tongues while
Holy Spirit is not with you, you can still prophecy while God is not with you,
do not be shocked!Gifts and calling are without repentance nor holiness. See ‘
I have seenevil people prophecieing without being born again, I have seen
them speaking in tongues evenafter falling is sin, I have seenthem having
dreams while they even do not know Jesus Christ. Those things are real
because Satanwill automatically replace himself as soonas the Holy Spirit
leaves you. See ‘ when Saulwas left by God’s Spirit, there was an evil spirit
that replacedin him instantly and Saul did not even notice! So the moment
God leaves you without knowing you will still feel as if God is still with you.
While it is demonic presence ofdemons working with you to continue your
unfinished business. You will still serve God but with flesh and pride. You will

be walking in flesh insteadof the Spirit of God. You will be leading your self
without God.
Those signs will follow you when the Holy Spirit has left you; loving the world
will come back, pleasing the flesh, pleasing the world, the lust of the eyes,
fruits of the body ,the pride of life. You will start going back to your former
behaviours and back to the worldly things! Those signs will bring a life of self
and a sinful life. You will be overcomedby evil desires of flesh. The fear of
God will depart from you meaning you will not fear God while you are
committing sin. You can do evil and speak evil word without feeling guilty,
your conviction to sin will leave you, and the love of God in you will
disappear. You won’t feel to pray like you use to , you won’t attend the
fellowships/church, you will begin hating the Word of God and Holiness
teachings and like Saul you will be fighting the anointed ministers those with
God’s Spirit. You will begin to change the gospelofHoliness and replace it
with false grace, false Love and prosperity gospel. Those are the terrible signs
when Holy Spirit has left you and it will only take humbleness to recognise
that you are fallen. Check yourself eachand every day because whatconnects
us with God is Holy Spirit and if you lack Him then you don’t have any
connectionwith Heaven. No matter how you may dress, preach, serve , offer,
tithe, prophecy or speak in tongues , if the Holy Spirit has left you, I sayagain
you don’t have connectionwith Heaven but with Hell. This hour God is
spiting the lukewarm Christians out of His mouth, those who has grieved the
Holy Spirit be carefuland watch out for many will be rejectedand be
replacedinstantly. God will not walk with carelessand lukewarm Christians!
You cannot keepon sinning and walk with God. It’s either you walk with
Jesus Christ or walk with Satan. You cannot please the World and please
Jesus Christ. Watch out and return to the first love or else God’s presence will
flee from you.
DeepRepentance like David will restore your connections and humblenes will
draw near God’s Spirit. If you notice those signs you need to repent and be
rebaptised in Jesus Christ name like Petersaid and you will receive the gift of
Holy Spirit. ( Act 2:38)

Revelation3:15-16 I know your deeds, that you are neither coldnor hot. I
wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither
hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were
sealedfor the day of redemption.
(Repentance Prayer)
Precious Jesus the Son of God, I acknowledgetodaythat you are LORD and
saviorof all mankind, and today I have recognizedmy downfall, I repent and
turn awayfrom all sin. Please washme with your precious blood, and
establishyour word in my life, that I may be found in righteousness and
holiness and write my name in your book of life and baptize me with the
powerof the Holy Spirit in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. I receive you as
the Lord and Savior of my Life in Jesus name. AMEN.
Find a true bible church preaching holiness inn and out and preparing you for
the kingdom of God and receive a water baptism fully immersion in waterbe
baptised in Jesus Christ name and you will complete your salvationprocess.
Or join our ministry (Holy Bride Saints.
The Holy Spirit warns
Acts 21
I will like to take you on a journey; close your eyes and try to imagine just
what Apostle Paul encounteredas he sailedfrom here to there and through
the passagesI’m sharing with you below.
Cos is a Greek island; a narrow gulf of the AegeanSea. Rhodes is an island in
Greece;locatedin the easternAegeanSea. Patara whichis now known as
Arsinoe; was a flourishing maritime and commercialcity on the south-west
coastofLycia on the MediterraneancoastofTurkey near the modern small

town of Gelemiş, in Antalya Province. Phoenicia was an ancientSemitic
civilization situated on the western, coastalpart of the Fertile Crescentand
centeredon the coastline ofmodern Lebanon and Tartus Governorate in
Syria. Cyprus is an island country in the EasternMediterraneanSea. Cyprus
is the third largestand third most populous island in the Mediterraneanand a
member state of the EuropeanUnion. It is locatedeastof Greece, southof
Turkey, westof Syria and Lebanon, northwestof Israel and north of Egypt.
Syria officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in WesternAsia,
bordering Lebanon and the MediterraneanSea to the west, Turkeyto the
north, Iraq to the east, Jordanto the south, and Israel to the southwest. Its
capital Damascus is among the oldestcontinuously-inhabited cities in the
world. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, it is home to
diverse ethnic groups; Armenians, Assyrians, Druze, Kurds, and Turks. And
religious groups, including ChristianArabs, Alawite, [Islam] and Sunni Arabs
[Islam] make up the largestpopulation group in Syria. Tzor aka Tyre is a
kibbutz; which is a collective community in central Israelthat was
traditionally based on agriculture. Locatedabout 12mi from Jerusalem, near
the city of Beit Shemesh. Ptolemais a city in the northern coastalplain region
of northernIsrael at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay; is a bay along the
MediterraneancoastofNorthern Israel. Haifa Bay is Israel’s only natural
harbor on the Mediterranean.
In Caesarea,where some of the brethren who accompaniedPaul to the home
of Philip the evangelistwho shares with the lostthe GoodNews of JESUS
CHRIST it’s with him they stay. EvangelistPhilip had four virgin daughters
with the gift of prophecy. While staying there, a prophet named Agav came
down from Judahto visit us. Agav took Paul’s belt, tied up his own hands and
feet and said, “Here is what the Holy Spirit says:“the man who owns this belt
— the Judeans in Jerusalemwill tie him up just like this and hand him over to
the Gentiles.” After the brothers and those that were near heard this
prophecy they beggedPaul not to go up to Jerusalem. Now this is the part that
I getexcited about; we must understand just how far Paul has traveled. This
is why all the locals were givenin the scripture and I took it just a bit further
explaining about these locations. Paulknew what he must do regarding the
work of the LORD. And after hearing the warning by the Holy Spirit; Paul

did not flinch; however, those who were near him apparently did not hear
what Paul heard. The Holy Spirit was warning him what was to happen to
him once he got into Jerusalem. Paul’s companions became filled with fear I
believe; none of us desire to see anyone that we love be harmed in any fashion.
I think that the brethren saw death for Paul and not imprisonment. Our
emotions will always take us further than we desire to go and it is impossible
for us to see clearlywhen we are led by our emotions. For example; had
Paul’s companions not been overtakenwith emotions they would have not
paid attention to what may happen but to what JESUS was going to do
through Paul’s obedience to go regardless ofthe outcome. Paulresponded;
What are you doing, crying and trying to weakenmy resolve? In other words
Paul was asking why they are trying to make him change his mind from what
he has to do. I am prepared not only to be tied up, but even to die in
Jerusalemfor the name of the LORD JESUS.” Whata testament of faith and
determination; Paul understood that he would be bound by the Jews there in
Jerusalembut he took it further by saying that he was ready to die if it be
GOD’s will in the name of JESUS. Take the time to think about what Paul
said and in your thinking be brutally honest with yourself as you ask the
question. Do I have that type of faith? Am I really in a place at this moment to
have that kind of determination to go forward regardless ofthe outcome for
JESUS? If I were in countries that exist today; right now, that torture anyone
who speaks the name of JESUS;am I willing to be tortured; or would I crack
under the pressure? You must be honestwith yourself which means that you
will have to take self inventory; because as quiet as its kept; most of us can’t
even be obedient to the Word that we know let alone continue with the task
given us to do the work setbefore us. Now Paul and some of the disciples from
Caesarea wastakento the home of an earlier disciple name Mnason;how
many of us have read this chapterand simply glazedover the fact that there
was a disciple from way back whose name is not published as widely as the
better known disciples? Mnasona native of Cyprus, like Barnabas (11:19-20),
and was wellknown to the Christians of Caesarea(4:36). He was an “old
disciple”;he had become a Christian in the beginning of the formation of the
Church in Jerusalem. While in Jerusalemwe will begin to see where
everything gets shakento bits. There were disciples there who were glad to
welcome Pauland his companions who were traveling with him; they all

receiveda warm and loving welcome. The next day the brethren and Paul
went to visit James who was in the company of the elders. Paul, I’m sure just
as I am was eagerto share what GOD had done through him and the ministry
given to him. Mostpeople are not eagerto share or to hear because they know
that they are not willing to depend of GOD as those who have that eagerness
to share what GOD is doing. It does not take a specialoreducated personto
be used by GOD;all it takes is faith and a will to be used. However, even
though we share what we expectand hope will be well receivedby our
Christian family members; this is not always the case. Thougheveryone
praised GOD for what HE has done; the moment was ruined by a big fat
bothersome “but”. Now in Jerusalem;tens of thousands had become believers
in CHRIST JESUS;however, they were still lovers of the law. And so are
some of you who are reading this blog. Are you still lockedinto the Ten
Commandments; what is to be eaten and what is not to be eaten? How many
of you are ready to take revenge or is hateful towards others? How about un-
forgiveness? Ohthese are just a tiny bit of the laws there are over six hundred
more. Now James and the elders beganto speak speculationsaboutwhat Paul
is teaching. How believing Jews who live around non believing Jews are to
dismiss the teaching of the Law of Moses. Teaching aboutcircumcision no
longerbeing a requirement. To deny Jewishtraditions. Here again; Paul is
being facedwith believers who is wrapped in emotions and to go a bit further
the census ofhow what he teaches is to be acceptedor not. Before I go any
further allow me to remind what is written in the Word of GOD.
Circumcision is no longer a requirement of the flesh on a male’s genitalia as
an outward showing of who we are in the body as being Jewish. However,
circumcisionof the flesh of the heart is [Romans 2:28-29]. Besides, was
Abraham circumcised before he believed in the blessedhope? Nope! And it is
with Abraham’s example that Gentiles have the same accessto GOD as Jews.
Those that have their heart circumcised because oftheir faith in JESUS;is
Jew. The letter of the law has never profited anyone but the Spirit does profit
us and our praise is given from GOD. “So do what we tell you”; says the
elders. We have four men who are under a vow for ritual purification;
howeverthey did not have any money. It is suggestedthat Paul take them for
purification and pay their expenses;this was to prove to everyone that Paul is
still in observance ofthe Law of Moses.Maybe yes, maybe no; I don’t know

what was going on in Paul’s mind at that time. However; knowing that Paul
was a man of peace and this is where we cantake his example. If believers
believe that traditions are not sinful and if they are not doing anything sinful
then we don’t need to persuade them with anything differently. For example;
there are many Christians who drink; smoke marijuana just to name a
couple. They are just as much in love with JESUS as one who is not; they
know that they are forgiven for getting drunk at times and for surrendering
their mind to drugs but for whateverreasonthey don’t walk in their freedom
not to drink and drug. Or here is a more popular stumbling block;some
Christians believe that it’s a sin to eat port and will not eat it; then there are
others who know and understand that everything that GOD has made is clean
and is not to be calledunclean. As long as we pray asking GOD to bless the
food we are not being held prisoner to eating foodwith cloven hoofs. It’s all
about freedom and as loving brothers and sisters in CHRIST JESUS we are
not to condemn others for what is a sin to them but when in their presence
though we know freedom and live in freedom; we would not do anything that
would cause our brothers and sisters to fall. However, when the close ofthe
sevendays of purification was coming to a close;Jews from Asia who did not
believe in JESUS saw Paulin the Temple and assumedthat because they
witnessedPaulin the company of a gentile that he had taken the non-believer
in JESUS or non-observer of the law into the Temple. Gentiles or non-
observers of the Law of Moses were consideredanabomination coming into
the Temple. Seems to me that if a person is a non-believer the Temple or the
Church building is the first place you would want that personto be. Go
figure! I don’t know if things have change atall or much when it comes to the
Synagoguesanothername for Temple. The Jews who heard these accusations
became inflamed; laid hold of Paul; threw him out of the Temple; shut the
doors and were trying to kill him. Along came a Roman commander with his
officers and soldiers;once the rioters saw those who were in authority; they
ceasedbeating Paul. Now it does not make any sense to me as to why Paul was
arrestedwhen he was clearlythe victim and the Roman commander could not
make head or tales out of what the commotion was all about. However, it is
made clearthat the Romancommander mistook Paul for being an Egyptian
who is known for leading riots among the Jews in Jerusalem. Did anyone
notice in their reading that just as the Holy Spirit had warned; Paul’s hands

and feetwere bound; not by one chain but two? And as Paul was being led
awayto the jail; the soldiers had to actually carry Paul because the crowdwas
so irate that the air was filled with hatred for him and they wantedhim dead.
Warning From the Holy Spirit
JoanBoney ... apostle/prophet
May 30, a scripture that stoodout to me when I read the blog the previous day
was calledto my mind by the Holy Spirit.
It is a warning to us.
Jude 3-5 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye
should earnestlycontend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained
to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our Godinto
lasciviousness, anddenying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that
the Lord, having savedthe people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
destroyedthem that believed not.

You can start out believing a scripture but then allow that same scripture to
be explained awayas "unimportant" or by thinking you have more light now
and therefore explain that scripture awaywith those appointed to destruction,
thus grouping yourself with them.
As I lookedat this againthis morning, another scripture was calledto my
attention, also a warning to us.
Matthew 24 But and if that evil servant shall sayin his heart, My lord
delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, andto eat
and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day
when he lookethnot for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall
cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
It is easyto fight when there is a war. The danger is greaterwhen there is
peace and you have opportunity to fall asleep.
Sometimes we will have a little spark, enough to ignite us if we will pay
attention and look into it.
When I saw this scripture in Jude, there was such a spark.
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that
the Lord, having savedthe people out of the land of Egypt, afterward

I did think on it. Then the next morning it was back again, even before I got
out of bed.
I stopped immediately and thought about it and the Holy Spirit connected
that scripture to the two preceding verses in Jude.
* earnestlycontend for the faith
* Forthere are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace ofour God
into lasciviousness,and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus
Christ.
These men come in explaining away various portions of scripture, saying it's
okayfor the divorced woman to remarry, especiallyif her husband is
committing fornication. Ignoring the scripture telling the man he will commit
adultery if he marries a divorced woman. Therefore permitting both the man
and the woman in such cases to commit adultery.
I've heard it taught at church that a womancan remarry if her husband was
committing fornication.
This is a misuse of what Jesus saidin Mt. 5:32.
Jesus said: But I sayunto you, That whosoevershallput awayhis wife, saving
for the cause of fornication, causethher to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

But Jesus was speaking this scripture to the men, not to the women.
When you read I Cor. 7, the apostle Paulmakes it clearthat the
commandment of the Lord for the women in the NT church is as follows.
I Cor. 7:10-11 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let
not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain
unmarried, or be reconciledto her husband: and let not the husband put
awayhis wife.
Fleshly minds will reasonthe rules are the same for men and women, thus
casting aside both Matthew 5:32 & I Cor. 7:10-11.
But if you go by exactly what was said in these two scripture and live by those
instructions, you see those two scripture say exactlythe same thing.
*****
We must "earnestlycontendfor the faith" by clinging to the scriptures by the
Holy Spirit for there are many antichrists among us in the churches today.
And we have the warning of how dangerous it will be in the lastdays. People
will grow bored and it will all begin to seemmeaningless and they will say to
themselves, "What's the use?" and they will give up and accept those things

they once held fast against. This is the warning Jesus gives in Mt. 24. They
will return to eat and drink with the drunken and by doing so they cast
everything awayand buy for themselves destruction. And they begin to take
pleasure in those evil doers though they once held such was wrong.
II Thess. 2:10-12 And with all deceivablenessofunrighteousness in them that
perish; because they receivednot the love of the truth, that they might be
saved.
And for this cause Godshall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
So the bottom line is this:
* I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how
that the Lord, having savedthe people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
* But and if that evil servant shall sayin his heart, My lord delayeth his
coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, andto eatand drink with
the drunken; The lord of that servantshall come in a day when he lookethnot
for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder,
and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
The Holy Spirit Warns

By Dr. David R. Reagan
In the previous part of this study on Psalm2, we lookedat the secondpromise
of Psalm 2 concerning the future reign of Christ. Today I'll look at the
warnings of the Holy Spirit in verses 10-12.
The Spirit Warns
Psalm2 begins with David speaking as a prophet, lamenting over the waythe
world's rulers scoffat the Lord. It proceeds with the Lord laughing over the
feeble attempts of men to frustrate His will. It is then punctuated by a
proclamation of Jesus in which He announces His Father's promise that He,
the Son, will one day triumph over all the kingdoms of the world.
The psalm concludes with a warning given by the Holy Spirit:
10 "Now, therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverence,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry,
and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soonbe kindled."
(Psalm 2:10-12a)
The Audience

The Spirit's warning is addressedto the kings and judges of the earth. It is a
solemn call for the political leaders of the world to cleanup their acts and
submit themselves and their nations to the Lord's will before He bursts from
the heavens in wrath.
Unfortunately, this stern warning seems foreverto fall on deaf ears and
hardened hearts. The warning was spoken3,000 years ago,and power
grubbing and political corruption continue unabated to this day. The world's
political leaders continue to thumb their noses atGod and mock His Anointed
One.
But a "day of reckoning" (Isaiah2:12) is fast approaching, and what a day it
will be! The book of Revelationsays that on that day "the kings of the earth
and the greatmen and the commanders and the rich and the strong..." will
hide themselves in caves and will cry out to the rocks ofthe mountains: "Fall
on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from
the wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation6:15-16).
The Lord has delayedthe outpouring of His wrath because He does not desire
that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter3:9).
But there is a limit to the Lord's patience, and while He waits, "He reserves
wrath for His enemies" (Nahum 1:2). The Lord may be slow to anger, but
"He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished" (Nahum 1:3).
But the political leaders of the world are not the only audience for the Spirit's
warning. The warning is also aimed at the redeemed, for — as I have already
pointed out — we will one day serve as the kings and judges of this world. So,
let the redeemedtake notice of what we are calledto do as we awaitthe Lord's
return.
A Call to Worship
First, we are calledto "worship the Lord with reverence" (Psalm2:11). The
actualHebrew word here is "serve" ratherthan "worship." But I like the use
of the term, worship, because it emphasizes that our ultimate worship of the
Lord is expressedin how we serve Him.

We so often think of worship only in terms of what we do when we come
togethercorporatelyas a congregationofbelievers. Don't get me wrong —
corporate worshipis extremely important. We were createdto worship God
(Deuteronomy 6:13), and God actively seeks people who are worshiping Him
in spirit and truth (John 4:23).
But the ultimate worship is expressedin what we do when we leave the
congregationand return to the world. Do those who come in contactwith us
recognize that we have been in the presence of the Lord? Do we return from
worship "to bless our household," as was the case in King David's life? (2
Samuel 6:20)
Do you have a passionto worship God? Do you desire to celebrate Him for
who He is and what He has done? And do you desire to express that worship
not only with the praise of your lips but with the labor of your body and the
money you have earned?
One other thing — Do you understand that one day soonYou will stand
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100-Year-OldVision Conveys Sobering Warning to the Church
12:00PM EDT 3/13/2013Dr. Joe VanKoevering

I try to stay focusedon what’s happening in the world as it relates to Bible
prophecy—part of my assignmentfrom God. And what’s occurring in the
world today all points to the approaching return of Jesus Christ. However,
another important part of my assignmentis to deal with what God is saying as
a warning to His church. Before we talk about a warning to the sinner or to
America or to the nations of the world, I believe God wants us to deal with
and respond to a sobering warning to the church.
I, and other prophetic preachers, oftenrun into people who scoffat us, calling
us “doom and gloomers” and“negative preachers.”WhenI hear those
accusations, my first question is always, “Since whenis preaching the return
of the Son of God somehow doomand gloom and bad news to the people who
are supposedto be looking for Him?”
In 2 Timothy, Paul talks to believers, and especially“lastdays” believers, who
turn awayfrom the truth: “I charge you therefore before Godand the Lord
Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His
kingdom: Preachthe word! Be ready in seasonandout of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come [a
direct reference to the final times] when they will not endure sound doctrine,
but according to their own desires, because theyhave itching ears, they will
heap up for themselves teachers;and they will turn their ears awayfrom the
truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Tim. 4:1-4, bracketednotation mine).
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Let’s look at a few specifics in this passageas we considerwhat it means to us
today. The itching ears phrase refers to people wanting those who preach and
teachto speak only pleasantries:“Don’t give us any bad news … anything
strong or harsh … anything negative.” The spirit of the lastdays will say,
“Tickle ourears (that is what itching ears literally means: to scratchor to
tickle). Don’t tell me what I really need to hear, but rather what I want to
hear.” Many in the church have this desire for their ears to be tickled.
Consequently, those in the church will start to move awayfrom the truth.
They will be filled with a lie because theydo not love the truth (see 2 Thess.

2:10-11). They will have ears only to hear something pleasing and believe
fables. In this passage, the Greek word for fables is mythos—the root word for
mythology, meaning “something concoctedwith falsehoods.”
A Godly Man’s Vision
I came across a warning from a man who lived more than 100 years ago.
You’ve probably heard of him: GeneralWilliam Booth, the founder of the
SalvationArmy. Before it was knownas the Salvation Army, his organization
was originally named Christian Revival Society. This unique preacherhad a
burning passionto see true revival come to his generation.
God gave GeneralBootha prophetic dream that would become a clearand
sobering warning. His vision included six parts still relevant to us today—
maybe even more so than when he preachedthem. His revelations have
proven to be extremely accurate.
As the 20th century began, Boothwas askedby someone whathe saw as the
greatestdangers forthe next hundred years. Below are what he identified as
the chief dangers which would confront the coming century.
Politics Without God
GeneralBoothsaw that there would be a day when civil government in the
Westernworld would no longer have the fear of God. I thank God for the
founding of this nation. We do still have “In God We Trust” on our currency.
But the question for us now is: What god do we really trust in anymore? Is it
the one, true God? Is it the Creatorof heaven and earth? Or is it one of the
many false gods worshipped in America? Which godare we really trusting in?
If they had their way, some people right now would remove “In God We
Trust” from our currency. They are already starting to do it. When will God
judge America? Perhaps He already is. Perhaps it has alreadybegun yet we
are too blind to see it. Where is the real powerof the Word of God in America
today? The true power is lacking.
Heaven Without Hell

I challenge anyone to name a preachertoday, at leastin the media world, who
will still preach a messageon hell. It’s difficult to come up with one. In fact,
we have countless preachers who go out of their way not to even mention hell.
Considerthese Scriptures and what God says about those who deceive
others:“Forthe wrath of God is revealedfrom heaven againstall ungodliness
and unrighteousness ofmen, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness”
(Rom. 1:18).
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because ofthese things the
wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6).
We desperatelyneed men of the cross and men of the Word who still call
themselves “preachers ofthe gospel” and will be bold enough to say there is
still a heavento gain and a hell to shun.
SalvationWithout Repentance
If you were to ask Christians today to repent, many would wonder, “Repent?
What does that mean?”
Forgivenessfrom sin without repentance from sin is the popular messageof
the day. John the Baptistsaid it this way in Matthew 3:7-8: “You brood of
vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bearfruit
in keeping with repentance” (NASB).
The spirit of John the Baptist and the spirit of Elijah are coming again, which
must precede the return of Jesus Christ. The messageofthese two prophets
and the message todaywill still be to repent and flee the wrath to come. What
we hear today from a totally self-absorbed, consumerchurch is “fix my
problems” and “it’s not my fault.” We want forgiveness, but we don’t want to
repent.
Boothwas right. Repentance is a forgotten, lost word in the church today.
SalvationWithout Regeneration
GeneralBoothpredicted that we would see increasing numbers of people
claiming to have salvation yet not having truly become new creatures in
Christ.

The preaching of “You must be born again” must be discoveredin our gospel
message. Clarityon these points is even more crucialtoday because we live in
an hour when a counterfeit“New Age gospel” is preachedon every corner.
We’re told we canbe “saved” without getting boggeddown in boring, old-
fashioned, stuffy doctrine. And the idea of being “saved” without going
overboard with a lot of Bible language, doctrine and ultimately truth tickles
the ears of many.
Mostpreachers today couldn’t even biblically define regeneration, much less
actually preach it boldly in their pulpits on Sunday mornings! In my very own
city, one of the largestchurches here decided not long ago that they shouldn’t
even “bother” wasting their precious service time (which is only 59 minutes
long—with a guarantee)to partake of Holy Communion anymore. The church
has stopped receiving communion entirely in Sunday services in this large
church.
We have salvationwithout real regeneration.
ReligionWithout the Holy Spirit
Few have understood as well as GeneralBooth that religious conformity is
quite different from genuine conversionbrought by the Holy Spirit.
SecondTimothy 3:5 says that in the last days we will face an epidemic of
those, “Having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
Jude sounded a similar warning: In the last days, there will be an increase of
those who are “devoid of the spirit” (Jude 18-19, NASB).
Years ago a greatman of God said, “If the Holy Spirit left the planet tonight
at midnight, tomorrow morning 99 percent of church activity, church
programs and Christian ministry would go on untouched.” A sad
commentary. Yet, I agree with him.
Too often we “do” church out of soul-centeredhype, leading in the flesh. It’s
done merely by carnal manipulation. I am convinced that the so-calledchurch
in America will simply show up for a goodshow and not even really know or

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