Easy like Sunday morning
First posted: September 5, 2004
If you have been reading our recent articles, you will have noticed that we have been studying on what the Lord says about the coming spiritual Revival through Isaiah chapters 31 and 32. In our previous article, we discussed what Isaiah 32:9-12 does not mean. This article will now discuss what this passage really means.
Index
Macro-trouble and micro-trouble
Tremble, blasphemer! Darius is coming!
The passage
In Isaiah 32, the Lord declares the following:
"9 Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. 10 Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. 11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins. 12 They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine." (Isaiah 32:9-12)
In our previous article, we saw how the Lord will raise up the ministry of women during the latter-day Revival that is about to come and how the prerequisite for this is the removal of the "spiritual menstruation" the Church is currently in. The passage, therefore, speaks of how God will remove this "spiritual menstruation" by confronting the "spiritual women" who have ruled the Church based on the soul and not the Spirit; as we have said so many times before, the soul has a "female" connotation in Scripture while the Spirit has a "male" connotation.
The phrase "rise up" at the beginning of Isaiah 32:9 was translated from the Hebrew word quwm, which corresponds to the word that the Lord Jesus used when He said to the young damsel, "Talitha Cumi" in Mark 5:41. As we said before, the young damsel's resurrection in Mark 5 is a prophetic figure of how God will raise up the ministry of women in the latter days. This means that, just as God will "raise up" literal women unto life, He will also "raise up" spiritual women to confront them and destroy them.
When Isaiah 32:9 confronts women who are "at ease", does it mean that, during the times of Isaiah, there were a lot of women "goofing off"? There might have been, but to limit this passage to such a literal interpretation would be an abomination in God's eyes. God did not tell Isaiah to write verse 9 of chapter 32 simply to inform 21st-century believers about how lazy Israelite women were over 2700 years ago!!! This was written in Scripture to illustrate an underlying spiritual principle and to release prophetic word into the atmosphere that will produce transformation in these latter days.
For the most part, most of the prophetic word written in Scripture has been "lying dormant" for centuries, waiting for a latter-day prophetic remnant to hear it, believe it, and release it into the spiritual atmosphere by faith:
"6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? 7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" (Amos 3:6-8)
[A clearer translation of verse 7 would say, "The Lord GOD will do nothing without uncovering His secret to His servants the prophets"]
"8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." (Daniel 12:8-9)
"10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:10-11)
"Judgment Day is far away"
If Isaiah 32:9 is not speaking about lazy Israelite women 2700 years ago, what is it referring to? The key to answering this question is in the phrase "at ease", which was translated from the Hebrew word shaanan, and appears 10 times in the Old Testament, one of them being in the following passage:
"1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? 3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; 6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed. 8 The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein." (Amos 6:1-8)
Notice that verse 3 speaks of people at ease in Zion who "put far away the evil day". This refers to a Church that has forsaken the word of judgment and justice and has settled for a "live-for-the-present gospel" that focuses on earthly blessings and grace. The word "judgment" is shunned in most congregations, and is pushed away with comments such as "Here we preach about a God of love, not a God of judgment". In most believers' minds, "Judgment Day" is a day far, far away that will only affect those who have not already been born-again. Those who have already repeated the prayer of salvation, have gotten baptized, and are actively serving at a local congregation seem to be "magically" exempt from this "dreadful" Judgment Day, and, with their ticket into Heaven secure, they have nothing left to do but to enjoy a comfortable and relaxed life while they wait for that "glorious" day when they go to Heaven and continue their life of comfort and pleasure for eternity. Such an attitude, however, ignores the following Word in Scripture:
"20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments." (Psalm 119:20-21)
"I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me." (Psalm 119:30)
"43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments. 44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever." (Psalm 119:43-44)
"8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isaiah 26:8-9)
"5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; 6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. 7 He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth." (Psalm 105:5-7)
Do these passages sound as if we are called to shun away from judgments and seek blessings? Don't they rather show a deep desire for His judgments to be over us all the days of our lives? Everyday should be "Judgment Day", because it is through His judgments that we are molded into His likeness so that we may one day be made One with Him.
"16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:16-17)
Verse 16 above says, "the time is come" for judgment, not "the time will some day come", and this was written over 1900 years ago!!! Notice also that verse 17 speaks of "obeying the Gospel of God"; most pastors, however, preach such a crooked definition of "the Gospel" that the words "obedience" and "Gospel" would not seem to go well together. Obedience speaks of abiding by spiritual laws and principles; it speaks of limiting one's self-will to the will of another (in this case, God); it speaks of exposing oneself to God's judgments in order to abide in His truth and righteousness. The Church's "gospel", however, only speaks of blessings and benefits, of mercy, kindness, and earthly enjoyment. It seems, therefore, that "the Gospel of God" referred to in verse 17 is different from the Church's current "gospel".
As the temple of Solomon was being built, the Lord God laid out an important spiritual principle:
"And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building." (1 Kings 6:7)
As 1 Peter 2:5 declares, we are as "living stones". Notice, however, that we will not be worked on when we are taken up to be placed in our final position inside the Temple of God. All of the hammering and chiseling is done here through God's refining judgments. Don't expect, my friend, to have your rough edges worked on when you get to Heaven. If you refused to have them worked on here, you will be left with those edges for eternity, and, if you are shown to be unfit as a stone inside the Temple, you will be cast out and made part of a heap of rocks outside the Temple that will stand as an eternal reminder of all those who decided to believe in an "at-ease gospel" rather than to abide in and be molded by God's continual judgments every day of their lives.
"Easy" violence
Amos 6:3, quoted above, ends with a very "peculiar" phrase:
"3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near" (Amos 6:3)
What does "the seat of violence" coming near refer to? Again, to find the answer, we have to go to the original Hebrew text. The word "seat" was translated from the Hebrew word shebeth, which literally means "dwelling" or "habitation", and the word "violence" was translated from the word hamas, which comes from the almost identical verb hamas meaning, "to do violence to, to treat wrongly". This Hebrew verb appears in the following passage, where Wisdom declares the following:
"32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. 34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. 35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. 36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:32-36)
The verb hamas was translated as "wrongeth" in verse 36 above; in other words, verse 36 should really say, "he that sins against Me does violence to his own soul". Notice that verse 34 speaks of "watching daily at the gates of Wisdom" and "waiting at the posts of Wisdom's doors". As we have seen in a previous article, gates and doors in Scripture refer to judgments. Watching daily at the gates of Wisdom and waiting at the posts of Wisdom's doors, therefore, refers to a person who constantly exposes him or herself to God's judgments. The reason why Wisdom is the One speaking these words is because (as we have seen before), wisdom is given by God to make judgments.
Proverbs 8:32-36, therefore, is saying that a person who chooses the "easy" way out by avoiding God's judgments in this life is doing violence to his or her own soul; according to verse 36, the "easy-goers" hate Wisdom, because Wisdom releases judgments. This passage, along with Amos 6:3, seem to illustrate a strong spiritual connection between violence and hatred against judgment Word. I know of at least one Latin American city that is full of "Christian" churches, "Christian" radio stations, and has 2 local "Christian" TV channels. This city, however, is at present time experiencing a terrible wave of criminality and violence. Why? Because pastors in that city hate the word "judgment", and they hate anyone who speaks of God's judgments under the Anointing of the Spirit. They have watered down the Gospel (cursed be these pastors -- Galatians 1:9), and have lulled mediocre believers into thinking that being a "Christian" means going to a church where you can have a good time and where the "almighty pastor" will protect you from suffering and difficulties if they only learn to "abide by the system". These cursed pastors have participated in "marches for peace" and days of prayer to stop the violence in that city, but God is not listening to them. Over two years ago, as I was about to pray for that city while fasting, the Lord whispered "Jeremiah 14:11" into my heart, and when I went to see what this verse said, I found the following:
"11 Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. 12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence." (Jeremiah 14:11-12)
It took me 442 days (about 14 and a half months) to understand that God was warning that He would cast away that city (and the country it is in) if they did not repent (and they never did). Besides the great outbreak of crime and violence, there are regions in that small country that are currently being ravaged by severe drought and famine, and infectious diseases like dengue have at times broken out in various parts (literally fulfilling all 3 judgments mentioned in verse 12 above). This country's pastors generally boast about the country being "35% evangelical". What good does it do to them if 35%, or even 100%, of the population is "evangelical", if they are only willing to believe what is pleasant to their natural ears? God's judgments will continue against that arrogant little nation, which considers itself to be a "beacon of spiritual light" to the rest of Latin America. They, along with the rest of Latin America (as a region), have been cast off by God and will, in 10 years time, be nothing but a spiritual swamp.
Just like the arrogant little city mentioned above, there are many cities around the world that are being ravaged by crime and violence because of their hatred for judgment Word. Washington, D.C., for example was once known as "the crime capital of the world" because of its extreme violence. Unbeknownst to most, however, is the fact that the crime wave in Washington D.C. was spawned by the fact that this city has for many years been the seat of a government whose social policies tend to condone iniquity for the sake of "political correctness". For example, instead of dealing with the sexual promiscuity that leads to so many single mothers in the ghettos of America, Washington has chosen the "compassionate" route by handing out welfare checks willy-nilly. Christian pastors in minority communities preach on the government's responsibility to provide for their communities, instead of confronting and spiritually rooting out the iniquity that goes on every day in their neighborhoods, because that would imply pronouncing unpopular word of judgment that would "belittle racial and ethnic pride". Instead of fighting the battle in the spirit against sin, these pastors -- these generous enemies of God -- have tried to legislate their communities into prosperity through human means. Handing out a check to a needy woman is not wrong in and of itself, but these "compassionate" Christian pastors should understand that God's mercies are always attached to His righteousness; they should stop their political gibberish and start preaching from the Bible from time to time:
"5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. 6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. 7 And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. 8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 9 Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. 11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; 12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. 13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. 14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 15 For some are already turned aside after satan. 16 If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed." (1 Timothy 5:5-16)
Through their iniquity-condoning behavior, Christian pastors in minority communities are allowing satan to steal away the wonderful prophetic and apostolic callings of so many people in these communities. I believe that I will see the day when a mighty army of black prophets will be raised up throughout America that will shake the spiritual foundations of the U.S. and the world, modern-day William Seymour's who will manifest the power of God under a mighty prophetic and apostolic anointing, but those days will not come as long as pastors use the Gospel message as an excuse to condone iniquity instead of using It as a war instrument to destroy sin and iniquity. Martin Luther King Jr. saw the Promised Land before he died, and the movement that he started in the spirit has been continued in the flesh by other men. However, God will unleash mighty judgments over the liberal fools who have held God's work back, and I do believe that black America will eventually reach the Promised Land before it's all over.
Just like Washington D.C., New York City also used to be a city ravaged by crime. Again, this violence was drawn in spiritually by a city full of "liberals" who believe that sin is a "disease" (like the common cold), and is nothing but the justifiable knee-jerk reaction of "evolved primates" to "unfair social conditions", instead of seeing sin as the willful decision of human beings that must be held accountable for their actions. However, God has been doing a wonderful spiritual work in New York, and as the city has been turning from its "liberal" ways (even going to the "extreme" of electing Republican mayors along with a Republican state governor at the time of this writing), the crime rate in New York has declined. As New Yorkers have been willing to accept a no-nonsense approach against crime, God has worked to restore that city, and God has mighty prophetic purposes for New York in the years to come.
Same old, same old
In Amos 6:4, the Lord declares that the spiritual "easy-goers" lie on "beds of ivory":
"4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall" (Amos 6:4)
Again, God did not write this passage into Scripture to illustrate the popularity of "ivory beds" in ancient Israel! There is a powerful prophetic interpretation behind the phrase "beds of ivory", but it is found when we go to the original Hebrew text. The word "ivory" was translated from the Hebrew word shen, which can also mean "tooth". In turn, the word shen is derived from the word shanan, which literally means, "to sharpen" (notice the similarity with the word shaanan meaning "at ease" mentioned above). Interestingly enough, the word shanan is used in a peculiar way in the following passage:
"6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
The phrase "thou shalt teach them diligently" in verse 7 above was translated from shanan, showing the spiritual connection between "teaching" and the "sharpening" of rough edges. As we have said before, teachers are endowed with the "Spirit of Perfection" and are designed by God to elaborate methods that help others to refine the areas where they may be "shaky" or "incomplete". In the book of Revelation, God's Spirit of Perfection confronts the church at Sardis for accepting spiritual mediocrity:
"1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Revelation 3:1-3)
Like Sardis, today's Church has "a name that it lives" but is spiritually "dead". Many congregations claim to have the life of Christ, but are really spiritually stagnant swamps where believers are trapped in human rituals and traditions. By establishing a church and filling it with members, many pastors think that they are "set for life"; for them, there is nothing left to do but to set their souls on "automatic pilot" and glide on into eternity. They lash out at any man or woman with a prophetic anointing who speaks of God's visions yet unreached, of God's callings yet unfulfilled. To them, such people are nothing more than "troublemakers" that destabilize their mediocre status quo. They prefer to lie on their ivory beds of Girgashite methodologies and traditions and wait for that ever-so-expected moment called "The Rapture". However, the Lord God has declared that He will call these "women at ease" to rise up and face His judgments:
"24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." (Daniel 5:24-28)
Girgashites are believers focused on earthly temporality, and as such, are condemned to "division" or "disintegration", in the same way that a temporary human body disintegrates upon death (Genesis 3:17-19). This is why, in the passage above, God said to the Chaldean king Belshazzar that his kingdom would be "divided". Instead of having a forward-looking spirit, Belshazzar decided to rest on his father Nebuchadnezzar's laurels, setting the Chaldean kingdom on Girgashite "automatic pilot", with the intention of going into Hivite retirement and living out the "good life". The word "Chaldean" means "clod breakers", which refers to the anointing to break earthly vessels and methodologies, but Belshazzar wanted to remain in the earthly methodologies he was called to break. Fellow believer, you are a spiritual "Chaldean", a spiritual breaker of earthliness; don't join the enemy you were anointed to destroy.
According to Daniel 5:27, Belshazzar's kingdom was given to the Medes and the Persians. Why? Because Medes means "middle land", and Persia means "pure, splendid". This life is a "middle land" where we are to be perfected or purified, because we are on our way to something greater --- a life in God for eternity --- and not all believers will reach this Promised Land, because a great many have settled for the "same old, same old". They abound in earthly methodologies and rituals, and have not understood that no stone's rough edges will be worked on when they get to Heaven. This is it, my friend. If you are not ready in this life, you will not be perfected in Heaven.
"Mr. DJ, I have a request"
Amos 6:5 says the following about "easy-goers":
"That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;" Amos 6:5)
The word "viol" above was translated from the Hebrew word nebel, which is derived from the word nabel meaning "to be senseless or foolish". We encountered this word before, when we were studying Isaiah 32:5-6. There, we learned that it refers to the pandering pastors who act like spiritual "clowns", giving the people what they want so that they may have a "good time". Easy-going pastors like to be people-pleasing clowns, because, after all, that is the easiest way to go. If you speak God's unadulterated truth, people will "leave" and your "little kingdom" (i.e.- the congregation) will crumble:
"60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." (John 6:60-66)
After many of His disciples left Him, Jesus didn't say, "Wait, come back, please. You didn't like that sermon? OK. I have other material I can use." Jesus always spoke in the Spirit and confronted the flesh. He knew that many of the disciples were with Him because He had fed them with material food (when He multiplied the 5 barley loaves and the 2 fishes), not because they believed in the Spirit of His words:
"Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." (John 6:26)
When He saw that they were following Him for the wrong reasons, He did not start "chanting to the sound of the viol", as Amos 6:5 says. He started singing a song to them that He knew they would not like, because their earthly carnality had to be confronted. During His earthly ministry, Jesus was not an audience-pleasing DJ playing the song the people requested. He always played the song His Righteous and Holy Father told Him to play, no matter who it pleased or displeased.
A night at the "Improv"
Amos 6:5 also declares that "easy-goers" invent to themselves "instruments of music, like David". The word translated as "instruments" here is the Hebrew word keliy, which we encountered previously when studying Isaiah 32:7, and, as we saw before, this word refers to "methods" or "procedures". Therefore, we can say that Amos 6:5 is referring to the earthly methods or procedures that man invents or "makes up". The name "David" mentioned in Amos 6:5 means "beloved", meaning that easy-going pastors convince people into thinking that these cockamamie methods and religious systems that they come up with are birthed out of a special "grace" or "connection" they have with God, a connection that the regular, "mortal" human does not have. When confronted by a congregation member who may perceive in the Spirit that his or her ideas are earthly and not spiritual, easy-going pastors use their patronizing voice and say,
"Son, you don't understand my methods because ... well ... you are just a sheep. I am a PASTOR; I went to seminary school; I am an ordained minister of God, and that means that I have a closer access to God than you, oh little one. I am beloved of God. God loves you too, but not as much as He loves me. I am a MINISTER!!"
The human improvisation that goes on in churches across the Body of Christ has led to spiritually dead services that tug at the emotions and fill the mind with meaningless information, but are incapable of transforming people's hearts and propelling them to the next level of their relationship with Almighty God. I have grown tired of hearing so many pastors who stand up at the pulpit, read 1 or 2 verses of Scripture, close their Bibles, and proceed to blurt out a 45-minute sermon filled with earthly thoughts and comments, never opening the Bible for the rest of the service. When one hears these spiritual clowns, it seems as if they think that the Bible does not have enough "material" to entertain the crowd for 45 minutes, so they start inventing their own material. Instead of going to their prayer closets and weeping before God because the Bible no longer speaks to them, they prefer to go out every night and improvise in the flesh. This is why most services around the world seem like a "night at the Improv". Please don't misunderstand me. This is not to say that spontaneity is wrong. The only question is, "Where is that spontaneity coming from?" Is it a manifestation of the Spirit's flow in the preacher's life, or is it evidence that there is nothing in the tank?
Pastor, if your tank is empty, don't make up your own material. Go and weep before God, gird yourself with sackcloth. Pour ashes over your head and weep before God. Ask God to reveal to you the source of the spiritual blockage in your life. In my personal case, the mere thought of opening the Bible and not having God's Word leap up at me brings tears to my eyes. I would dread such an awful day!!! How can pastors go for years like that? I wish that these clowns would shed tears of repentance. God would restore them, but He has hardened the hearts of most of these men and women because of their arrogance, making sure that they will never find repentance, even if they seek after it with tears. I guess that all they can cry are the "tears of a clown":
"16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (Hebrews 12:16-17)
"13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." (Romans 9:13-18)
"Easy" blaspheming
Amos 6:6 says the following about "easy-goers":
"6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." (Amos 6:6)
The word "bowls" above was translated from the Hebrew word mizraq, which appears 32 times in the Old Testament. In its 31 appearances outside of Amos 6:6, this word always refers to bowls consecrated for use at the Temple altar. This means that we can safely assume that it also refers to "altar bowls" in Amos 6:6. This coincides with what the Scriptures declare concerning Belshazzar:
"1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. 3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." (Daniel 5:1-4)
From this, we can see that "easy-goers" use things consecrated unto God for their own personal enjoyment. This, in a word, constitutes "blasphemy". Easy goers become blasphemers, and their desire for Hivite self-indulgence in their inherited grace leads them to feel no sense of respect or reverence for truly spiritual things. As we shared before, Hivites are like self-indulgent sons of millionaires who think that the world was created for their hedonistic enjoyment. Since everything seems to be served up on a silver platter, Hivites act like bratty little rich kids who have no sense of respect for the things they cannot see, and even find pleasure in using the "unusable", since it provides them with an "I-can-do-whatever-I-feel-like-doing" type of sensation.
In my experience as a believer, I am sad to report that this arrogant attitude is very common among pastors' children. I have seen how pastors' sons have used the church's musical instruments during worship practice to play spiritual classics such as "La Bamba". Don't get me wrong. I like "La Bamba", but there is a place and time for everything, and their attitudes reveal a sense of irreverence, a sense of spiritual stupidity that shows that they are not aware of the spiritual purpose of worship practice. The reason for being on the praise and worship team is not to show off your guitar-lickin' ability; it is to praise and worship a Holy and Awesome God. I have not only seen how these pastors' children seem to be irreverent towards God; I have also seen how everyone else pretends like nothing happened because, after all, they are the "pastor's little babies", and, hey, who can dare say anything against the pastor's children? That would show irreverence towards the pastor, so it is better to allow his precious little bundles of joy to disrespect Almighty God than to show any irreverence towards "Mr. Pastor"!!
As the every desire of these self-indulgent Hivites is being fulfilled in churches all across the world, those with a true desire to worship God and to manifest His transforming Glory on Earth are left to starve spiritually. This is why Amos 6:6 says that they are not "grieved for the affliction of Joseph". The reference to Joseph points to those who, like Joseph, seem small and insignificant to their brothers and are rejected by them, but who have a promise and a potential in Christ that can only be seen with the eyes of the Spirit. God smiles on the spiritual Josephs, and the time will come when the Church in general will see the potential in those whom they underestimated, and will have to confess, "you are beloved of God; you are David":
"7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." (Revelation 3:7-9)
Macro-trouble and micro-trouble
Now that we have seen what the Lord says about "at-ease" believers in Amos 6, let us return to our original passage in Isaiah 32:
"9 Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. 10 Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come." (Isaiah 32:9-10)
In verse 9, the Lord calls the women at ease to stand up and face the music, God's music. As we saw above, the Church's easy-goers have been making up their own music, but, in these latter days, God will unleash judgments against them that will force them to tune in to "FM Holy Spirit". Stations "AM Human methods" and "FM Earthly blessings" will be shut off the air.
In verse 10, the Lord says that the easy-goers will be troubled for "many days and years". Why would the Lord use a phrase like that? Why not simply say, "many years", for example? Why did He mention "days" and "years" without mentioning "months"? As I asked the Lord these questions, He revealed two things to my heart. One is the fact that "days" and "years" are calendar periods that are related directly to the movement of the sun, whereas "months" are related to the movement of the moon. In Scripture, the "sun" many times refers to the spirit, whereas the "moon" refers to the soul. This means that, as judgment is unleashed on the easy-goers, the Church will stop being ruled by the movements of the human soul and begin to be ruled by the movement of the Spirit of God. This is why the Lord refused to mention "months" in Isaiah 32:10.
The second thing that the Lord spoke to my heart concerning the phrase "days and years" is that "days" refers to trouble at the "micro-level", while "years" refers to trouble at the "macro-level". Our God is a God who sees things at the micro-level as well as the macro-level, as the following passage illustrates:
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8)
This means that God can place a day under a microscope and see it as large as a 1,000 years, and He can also place Himself above 1,000 years and see it as small as a single day. God can handle micro-details as well as the entire panorama. When He inspired the prophet Isaiah to write "many days and years shall ye be troubled", God was saying that the easy-going spirit would be attacked at the micro and the macro levels. General trends of the easy-going spirit will be attacked throughout the entire Body of Christ, and micro-trends of this spirit at the level of each individual believer will also be attacked. The easy-going trend will be attacked for a span of many years, and will also be attacked at individual, daily services throughout the Church. The days of the soul matriarchy in the Church are numbered, and my eyes will see the manifestation of His Glory in the latter days.
Tremble, blasphemer! Darius is coming!
In Isaiah 32:11, the Lord declares the following:
"Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins." (Isaiah 32:11)
As we said above, easy-goers are prone to becoming blasphemers who show irreverence towards the things of God. God will therefore cause them to tremble in fear. Their easy-going, fun-loving "gospel" days are about to end:
"30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old." (Daniel 5:30-31)
Darius means "lord", and refers to the Lord God taking over the Church. The fact that verse 31 refers to Darius as "the Median"' also has prophetic significance. As we said before, the word "Median" literally means "middle land", and refers to our temporary stay on Earth. Therefore, verse 31 is declaring that the Lord God will take over the Church as He manifests Himself through His prophetic remnant people here on Earth. You and I, my friend, are the "Median", the "middle land" through whom God wants to manifest Himself. Hallelujah!!!
The fact that Darius was 62 years old when he deposed Belshazzar also has prophetic significance. The number 62 equals 31 times 2, and the number "31", when used in a positive sense, is related in Scripture to "prophetic intercession", as chapters 31 of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Psalms, and Jeremiah illustrate when studied in detail. The fact that 62 equals 31 times 2 points to a double-portion inheritance anointing (2 Kings 2:9, Deuteronomy 21:17), to an Elisha anointing loaded with apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic authority in the Spirit.
The number 62 also points to chapter 62 of Isaiah, where the Lord prophesies a latter-day Church full of His Glory and presence (v1-5) that will be manifested through sentinels (i.e.- prophetic intercessors) who will not rest until they see God's glory manifested in His Church (v6-7); it will be a Church where the holy wine will not be drunken by irreverent and blasphemous Hivites but by the sons and daughters of God who understand God's holiness and seek to abide in His judgments (v8-10). It will be a Church known for God's holy presence, and a Church that will be seen by unbelievers (outside and inside the Church) as the "redeemed of the Lord", the one that the Lord loved and did not forsake, just as He did not forsake Joseph (v11-12).
Take off your palace clothes!
In Isaiah 32:11, the Lord also prophetically commands the easy-goers to "strip bare" and to "gird sackcloth upon their loins":
"Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins." (Isaiah 32:11)
This refers to the stripping off of the "regal" palace clothes that Hivites like to wear:
"7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." (Matthew 11:7-10)
As we shared before, the easy-going Hivites have introduced what we called, "the soul trend of effeminate delight", which refers to believers' obsession with "soulish" comfort and pleasure. God will strip the easy-goers of their source of effeminate pride. God will strip them of their material and emotional success and show them as disapproved and rejected by God:
"The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein." (Amos 6:8)
"15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:15-17)
The fact that the easy-going Hivites will be left naked is a sign of spiritual humiliation. They will be shown as nothing but frail, defenseless, and ephemeral men and women. Of all the living organisms on Earth, the one who looks the weakest and least dignified when "naked" in public view is the human being. A bear, for example, at least has its fur to cover it, and sure doesn't look "weak" or "frail" without "clothes".
As we said in our previous article, the Hebrew word translated as "loins" in Isaiah 32:11 is used in Scripture exclusively for men, not women, which sounds contradictory to the natural mind. Considering that "the woman" in Scripture refers to the soul and "the man" to the Spirit, we can infer that the Lord is referring to how the Church is full of soul-children instead of Spirit-children, i.e.- believers birthed through human efforts, methods and will, and not in the Spirit:
"12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)
God will stop this "soul reproduction" and produce a Church that will begin to reproduce His Spirit nature in believers throughout the Body of Christ:
"2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:2-4)
Lament, easy woman!
In Isaiah 32:12, the Lord declares the following:
"They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine." (Isaiah 32:12)
The expression "lament for the teats" seems to have been translated from a Hebrew expression that actually meant, "They shall pound their breasts as a sign of lamentation". The spiritual meaning of the female breasts here can be understood from the rest of the verse.
The reference to "fields" speaks of Girgashite spirits, since the word "fields" points to the "earth", and Girgashite spirits are spirits of earthliness. The reference to the fields being "pleasant" refers to how Girgashites work and toil so that they may finally go into the pleasantness of Hivite retirement.
The reference to "vine" speaks of Canaanite spirits, since it obviously refers to "wine", and "wine", when used in a negative sense, refers in Scripture to the overflow of fleshly passions, and Canaanite spirits are spirits of carnal passions and excesses.
As we have studied in two previous articles, Canaanite spirits are very strong on pastors who stray from God's perfect will, and Girgashite spirits are very strong on teachers who stray from God's perfect will. As we have studied before, the pastoral and teaching ministries are ministries with a "female functionality", since they are "nurturing" in their nature, as opposed to the apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic ministries, which have a "male functionality", since they are ministries of outward projection. Isaiah 32:12, therefore, shows how God will cause the two "female" ministries in the Church to lament. After centuries of proud domination over the Church, the pastoral matriarchy will be overthrown, and it will greatly lament its defeat and devastation.
The pounding of the two female breasts in lamentation refers to the fall of the domination of the pastoral and the teaching ministries. The left breast speaks of the pastoral ministry while the right breast speaks of the teaching ministry.
Resurrection morning
The easy-goers' days in the Body of Christ are numbered. They have lulled believers into thinking that a life in Christ is as "easy" as going to church on Sunday morning wearing your best clothes. However, they refuse to accept the fact that a life in Christ is as easy as dying to self and allowing Jesus Christ to be Lord and Master over our lives. As we are dead to ourselves, the resurrected Christ will begin to manifest Himself through us.
Easy goers think that the Christian faith is as easy as going to church on Sunday morning. True believers know that it is as easy as manifesting the Man who was resurrected on Sunday morning.