The Book of Psalms was written by a man greatly loved of God. David was both a king and a prophet, and this is reflected in all that he wrote. So great was this man that God has promised that he will be resurrected to rule once more over all the Tribes of Israel. Jesus Christ saw him as one of the fathers, and was unashamed to refer to Himself as the Son of David. David had the very heart and mind of Jesus Christ. In fact, Luke states this in the Book of Acts: Acts 13:22 "After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: `I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." There are not too many people today that can claim they have done everything that God wants them to do. David, however, was such a man.

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. How many people today delight in the Law of the LORD? As for meditating on God’s Law day and night, there are virtually none! Imagine such people, who teach disobedience to God’s Law, claiming to be a part of the House of David and hoping to enter the Kingdom of God! It won’t happen.

Psa 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. This is set to become very evident in these last days, when prosperity will mean survival. God intends to prosper His servants in the order of magnitude of a hundred times (Mark 10:29-31). This is because they got their priorities right.

Psa 1:4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. This confirms the reason why God refers to humanity in general as being like chaff fit only to be blown away. Such wicked people chose the way of wickedness in contrast to obedience, and they have set their own fate. They will be unable to stand in the Day of Judgment, and will be condemned – never to live again.

Psa 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. Sin is lawlessness or the transgression of God’s Law (1John 3:4). Wicked counselors will tell you different! Such people have already been judged worthy of death, and this is the fate they will suffer:

Psa 1:6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. And of course they’ll perish, never to live again! Why would God want them in His Kingdom? God forewarned that He considered all men to be like grass (Isa 40:6-8) and goes on to confirm this in the same chapter in V23-24 "He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. ²⁴ No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff." This confirms that the wicked don’t prosper! To add to this, God also confirms that the nations count for nothing and God’s whole focus is on the individual – the one who delights in His Law. God confirms this in the same chapter: V17 "Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing." I know there is a perception today that God will forgive everyone for everything, and that obedience is therefore not important. They couldn’t be more wrong! If God has no regard for whole nations and considers them worthless, why would He have any consideration for those who are just as lawless and therefore just as worthless?

Psa 2:1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? When David was about to take his rightful place on the throne, the nations and the people, both near and far, tried to prevent it. Even David’s own son Absalom plotted against him.

Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One (David).

Psa 2:3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." This is so true of the mindset today among the Muslim hordes. They claim to be the victims of the Israelis, and indeed, of the whole House of Israel. Nations like America, Britain, Spain, France and the Nordic countries are seriously engaged in placating Islam, whose ‘human rights’ outweigh those of everyone else. And of course, the Israelis are the ‘whipping-boy’. For generations, Muslims have lost every war, but somehow they’ve acquired all the rights of the victors. While all the apologists are advocating on their behalf, God has been laughing at them!

Psa 2:4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Since they never understood the Scriptures, they don’t even know God. And since God confirms that the nations are less than nothing to Him, they had better watch out!

Psa 2:5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

Psa 2:6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." God intends to install a caretaker king on His Holy Hill until the one to whom it rightly belongs sits on the throne. Naturally enough, this is speaking of David, whom God will raise from the dead for this very purpose. David will rule over all the 12 Tribes of Israel. Zech 6:12-14 confirms that this crown and the bloodline of the throne will exist until the time is right. The Branch is a priest of God (V13) and he will establish David’s throne. Afterward, the crown will be entrusted to the keepers of the Temple as a memorial until David is raised to receive it. No-one other than a Levite ever served as priests at the Altar. Heb 8:3-6 "Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. ⁴ If he (Jesus) were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. ⁵ They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." ^{n 6} But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises." How often have you seen V6 quoted here as the ‘New Covenant’ by Christianity that does away with all God’s Laws? They claim the Old Covenant is extinct because no-one would obey it. In their minds, God has been forced to capitulate and do away with obedience to His Law. What they never quote, however, is what the New Covenant is! The answer to this is found in the next few verses of the same chapter: V10 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." So is God planning to abolish His Law because people won’t obey it? Quite the opposite! God is going to write His Law in their hearts and minds so they never forget it, and what is more, can never claim ignorance of the Law. This is what the New Covenant is! Everlasting obedience to God’s Law! Under the New Covenant, any law-breakers will be executed – they’ll be without excuse. They’ll have no defense, and they will die without mercy.

Psa 2:7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. This is the decree of the LORD when He proclaims that David is His son and that He Himself is his Father. David has embarked on recording Bible Prophecy through his Psalms, and the only way for Bible Prophecy to be understood is to have the Spirit of Christ. David had both the Spirit and Mind of Christ, and so God proclaims him His son and acknowledges that He is his Father. A thousand years later, Jesus Christ gives a final exhortation to the Churches of God, when He says this: Rev 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." You’ll notice here that Jesus said that He was the Root of David – from where the tender shoot sprung. And Jesus also confirms that He is the Son or Offspring of David, and was born through this ancestral line. Why do you suppose Jesus made this important and final proclamation about David if he wasn’t important? The Truth is, that without the House of David there would be no Kingdom of God and all prophecy would fail. That’s how important it is! And Jesus, in making this proclamation, was emphasizing this! All the dreamers and deceivers had better make an effort to understand this or prepare themselves for death forever.

Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. Those who enter God’s Kingdom will possess all the nations of the earth and they will rule over them.

Psa 2:9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." This statement by God, as recorded by David, is repeated a thousand years later in the Book of Revelation, and spoken by Jesus, in a message to the Churches of God: Rev 2:26-29 "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- ²⁷ `He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. ²⁸ I will also give him the morning star. ²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." In this statement, Jesus was quoting His forefather David. Did you notice that the Lord Christ was addressing the Churches of God? So was David! The Spirit that inspired David was also addressing the future Church of God and warning them of what God requires of them. What God is requiring of them is ‘to overcome’ and to ‘do God’s will to the end’.

In view of this, David forewarns the kings and rulers of the earth that they will fall under the jurisdiction of God’s servants the prophets. The prophets have the Testimony of Jesus (the same Testimony that Jesus speaks of in Rev 22:16), and as all Bible students should know, the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev 19:10).

Psa 2:10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. The warning given here is a fair warning to the kings and rulers of this earth. Their rule is coming to an end, and if they offer any opposition, they’ll be beaten with a rod of iron until their nation is brought under submission.

Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Believe me, this is very good advice. It may not yet be evident, but soon the whole world will know and understand the heartache, death and carnage that disobedience to God has wrought over all mankind. God intends to make sure it’s never repeated. If anyone suddenly believes himself to be ruler and attempts to seize power, then that person will soon find he is nothing at all. His whole nation will suffer a crushing defeat. This will serve as a warning to other nations to either serve the Creator God with fear and trembling or prepare to be wiped off the face of the earth.

Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. To whom was God directing His decree that he was His son? It was David! And what is more, God says, ‘Blessed are all who take refuge in him’. The day will come when God’s sons, the prophets, who have the Spirit of Christ and His Testimony, will take action – sudden and decisive action – to crush rebellion in all its forms. It’s not God’s way to try to reason with His enemies, and God’s servants are well-aware of this. When God says, ‘Kiss the son’, He’s emphasizing the need to befriend His son or sons, and especially the House of David, because it’s in the hands of God’s sons to bring devastating destruction on their enemies. What has happened in the six thousand years of Satan’s rule is entirely different to what is going to happen in God’s Millennium of peace. There will be no diplomatic envoys attempting to bring peace to the nations (though they will have teachers sent to them). They either accept a judgment as given by God’s servants or face catastrophic damage and destruction. Deterrence is the greatest inhibiting factor to rebellion and the nations will be deterred – or else!

Psa 3:1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Worst of all, these were David’s own people! Every one of them knew that David was God’s anointed one and they all knew the story of how God’s servant Samuel had anointed him King of Israel. However, they suddenly decided they would choose their own king even while David was still alive. In their twisted minds these rebels believed God would not be with David to deliver him. How wrong they were!

Psa 3:2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah. Selah means Rock or Anointed One. The use of the name Selah is in direct relationship to Jesus’ instructions to pray to the Father in His Name. Whenever David uses this Name, it’s in connection with a prayer to God. David prayed in the Name of the Rock, which genuine Bible students will know as Jesus. Jesus is that Rock (1Cor 10:3).

Psa 3:3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. David knew of the shield God had put around him. He’d seen it in action many times throughout his life, even in the day when he alone went out to challenge Goliath. The stone that David hurled at Goliath imbedded right into his skull killing him instantly. The fact is that in almost every battle that David fought, he was outnumbered, but still emerged victorious. Did the rebels really believe that God would abandon His son at this crucial stage of his life? Apparently they did!

Psa 3:4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah.

Psa 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

Psa 3:6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. It was now obvious that there was going to be a fight to determine the outcome. David loved his son Absalom and sought assurances from his field commander that his life would be spared in the battle. God, however, had other ideas. As it turned out, Absalom stood out from everyone else in that he had long hair which was his trademark symbol of his magnificence in his own eyes. It was this very hair that led to his death when it got caught up in the branches of a tree and he was de-mounted and vulnerable.

This is a brief description of what happened in the planning of the battle: 2Sam 17:7-14 "Hushai replied to Absalom, "The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. ⁸ You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops. ⁹ Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, `There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.' ¹⁰ Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave." Absalom knew that his forces would have to greatly outnumber those of his father David if he were to defeat him in battle, and he had no allusions about this. He was advised to muster all the men of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba (the northern and southern extents of the kingdom) if he hoped to conquer David. V11 "So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba--as numerous as the sand on the seashore--be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. ¹² Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. ¹³ If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a piece of it can be found." ¹⁴ Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel." For the LORD had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom. As we can see, Absalom and his army planned to kill David and all his men and leave none alive. Even though David knew this, he still instructed his commanders not to kill Absalom. God, however, was determined that justice would prevail and He intended to destroy Absalom.

Psa 3:7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. David calls on God to target the mouths of the offensive ones who are prone to mouth-off against God’s servants. And just remember that God will hold them accountable for every word they utter. We find this confirmed by Jesus Christ in Matt 12:37 "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

So on this occasion, God specifically targeted the instigator of the whole plot – Absalom! God wanted to be sure that the death of Absalom was very specific, rather than just another fallen warrior in the field of battle. And this is how it happened: 2Sam 18:6-17 "The army marched into the field to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷ There the army of Israel was defeated by David's men, and the casualties that day were great--twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword. You’ll notice that the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. As usual, Ephraim was able to field a very strong army and showed the most willingness to fight against the House of David. It was only a generation later, under the rule of David’s grandson Reboboam, that the House of Judah lost their rule over ten Tribes to Jeroboam the Ephraimite.

And now we come to the part where God determines to kill Absalom in a specific and spectacular way. This is the account of how it happened: V19 Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going. ¹⁰ When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree." ¹¹ Joab said to the man who had told him this, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt." ¹² But the man replied, "Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king's son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, `Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' ¹³ And if I had put my life in jeopardy--and nothing is hidden from the king--you would have kept your distance from me." Joab was a warrior and a commander of the army, and the battle had already cost 20,000 of the lives of the Tribes of Israel, so it seemed to Joab that the death of Absalom would bring it all to a quick end. As it happened, Joab was proven right, and what he did coincided with God’s judgment on Absalom anyway. V14 Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you." So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. ¹⁵ And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him. ¹⁶ Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes." Absalom had rebelled against the House of his father David, and God ensured the right outcome.

Psa 3:8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah. David also asked for God’s blessing on His people once more in an act of forgiveness.

Psa 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. David had just emerged triumphant from a major battle with the men of Ephraim, and he knew this army had not come out in the Name of the LORD, but for reasons that were offensive to God. David remembered God’s words in this matter:

Psa 4:2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah.

Psa 4:3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. This proved to be right, and his enemies were defeated. David then offers them some good advice:

Psa 4:4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah.

Psa 4:5 Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.

Psa 4:6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. These ‘many’ knew that the light was not shining on them! Their minds were dark and bewildered because they loved delusions – just as God said – and this led them to seek solace in false gods. These ‘many’ certainly learned a grim lesson!

Psa 4:7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

Psa 4:8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psa 5:1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing.

Psa 5:2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

Psa 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. There is often a wait for answer to prayer while God considers the best outcome for all involved. If God’s response were always immediate, then some people would never learn the lessons that come from suffering. Sometimes it’s suffering that brings us all to a better understanding of what God requires of us. Experience, in addition to suffering, is the best teacher.

Psa 5:4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The wicked will never dwell with God! God’s whole purpose is to rid the world of evil and wickedness, and there is only one outcome for those whom God hates!

Psa 5:5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. All those who love their Creator know very well what evil is. They can recognize it a mile off! This is because the righteous ones determine evil from the Law of God. Evil comes in many forms. Adultery, homosexuality, murder, theft, etc, are all easily recognized as evil. Yet those who know their God will also recognize arrogance as evil as well – just as God does. David recognizes that the arrogant cannot stand in God’s presence – because He hates them! Of particular hatred to God are those who exhibit arrogance to appear more ‘magnificent’ than their peers and to elevate themselves over everyone. This is what God has to say in regard to this: Isa 66:2 "Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." It’s particularly detestable to God when men seek to instruct others about the Creator God, and yet don’t tremble at His Word. You’ve probably noticed that most preachers and evangelists seek only to make the people feel good about themselves. They don’t seek to make the people tremble at the Word of God! Most of these preachers know virtually nothing about the Word of God and their purpose is to deceive the people.

Psa 5:6 You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. The bloodthirsty are those who kill or maim the innocent for pleasure or profit. Like brute beasts they turn on others more righteous than themselves. The Prophet Ezekiel adds some weight to this verse in Eze 13:19 "You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live." In regard to this verse from the Book of Ezekiel, God is speaking of the white-washed wall (V14) that Israel has built for themselves. God speaks of this white-washed wall being smashed to the ground in a spectacular fashion! By lying to the people, concerning their ‘human rights’ and other nonsense (which they love to listen to), the crime rate has gone through the roof, and even the most bloodthirsty murderer has his life spared – when he deserves to die! It’s the victim that deserved to live – not the bloodthirsty murderer! This is typical of the pathetic mindset that has developed!

Psa 5:7 But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. It’s this verse that prompted the tradition of Muslims to bow down to their ‘holy’ city of Mecca. Satan’s brood is always in defiance of God. Satan likes to ensure he has equal billing to the Creator God among his own evil brood and he won’t be outdone.

Psa 5:8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies-- make straight your way before me. David knew that his enemies were those who surrounded the Holy Land, Philistines, Amorites, Arabs, Edomites, etc, were the real enemies of his kingdom, even though he had just fought a civil war with the Ephraimites, who sought to depose him. It certainly demonstrates the mindset of the Ephraimites at that time. Ephraim in Bible Prophecy is the United States of America (see our Study of the Book of Isaiah), so nothing much has changed, and the wheel has turned full-circle. Today the future House of David is under attack and defensive against the hordes that surround the nation of Israel, and the White House is the harbinger of these threats.

Psa 5:9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.

Psa 5:10 Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. We know perfectly well what was in David’s mind immediately after he was forced to defend his realm against rebellion. He was speaking about the Tribe of Ephraim who was at the forefront of this rebellion. God declared them guilty all right, and decided then and there that they would be isolated or banished from the House of David. Though, as it happened, God gave His assurance that it would not happen in David’s lifetime or of his son Solomon. It happened in the days of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. This was the time when the northern Ten Tribes began their descent to becoming the ‘lost sheep of Israel’. It was to be nearly 3,000 years before they became a nation in their own right – in 1776. This was when Ephraim came of age. And now the American people have two options. Either they support the House of David or they rebel – yet again. If they rebel in an act of treachery, then they’ll be declared guilty, and banished once again. In this period of slavery, they’ll be able to recall the intrigues that led to their downfall. They’ll surely recall the intrigues of the slimy snake in the White House! To be perfectly honest about this, if anyone is not recognizing these intrigues of Obama now, then they are totally blind and deserve what they get.

Psa 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. God will provide refuge and protection to those He loves: those who have proven themselves to be faithful servants to Him. In short, those who have believed and obeyed Him!

Psa 5:12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. You’ll notice in the course of this study of the Psalms that David mentions this protective shield of God many, many times. Here’s a couple of examples: Ps 18:2 "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." And another: Psa 4:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." (Take particular notice of the words "For the LORD God is a sun…." This will be referenced later.)

Just remember that during David’s reign, the House of Israel was just one nation. It wasn’t divided up until the third generation of David’s line. David recognized the the House of Aaron, the priestly line of Levi, was held in great favour by God and He was their shield and protector: Ps 115:9-13 "O house of Israel, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield. ¹⁰ O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield. ¹¹ You who fear him, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield. ¹² The LORD remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, ¹³ he will bless those who fear the LORD-- small and great alike." It’s worth noting that Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, were both of the line of Aaron (Luke 1:5-6). There is considerable significance in mentioning this fact in the Book of Luke. It was the Tribe of Levi, God’s own tribe (Num 8:13-14) that remained faithful to the House of David.

Psa 6:1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

Psa 6:2 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.

Psa 6:3 My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?

Psa 6:4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

Psa 6:5 No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? Some people seem to believe that when they die they are still alive in some other form. David disagrees, and so do all God’s true servants.

Psa 6:6 I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.

Psa 6:7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

Psa 6:8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. No doubt many came to see him while posing as ‘well-wishers’, but really only wanting to know how close to death he was. Even in his desperately ill state, he was not deceived by them. He knew they only had evil in their minds.

Psa 6:9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. God loved David very much, just as He loved His Son Jesus, but still He allowed both to suffer. Both, however, emerged stronger and more powerful. In Jesus’ case, stronger and more powerful than any other being in the entire universe, other than God the Father!

Psa 6:10 All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace. All David’s enemies were hoping he would die, but when God hears his prayer and heals him, they fled away in disgrace. God always acts against plotters and schemers. He hates such people!

Psa 7:1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

Psa 7:2 or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

Psa 7:3 O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands--

Psa 7:4 if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe--

Psa 7:5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah.

Psa 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.

Psa 7:7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high;

Psa 7:8 let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

Psa 7:9 O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.

Psa 7:10 My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.

Psa 7:11 God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day. Don’t consider it too unusual that God would express His wrath every day. Every day brings more and more horror among the inhabitants of the earth, and violence is increasing exponentially. God’s Son Jesus waits every day for the signal from the Father to arise and act. With every passing day His fury is increased.

Psa 7:12 If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.

Psa 7:13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. When this happens, you will clearly know who the enemy is. The prophets spoke of this event many times. None of them lived to see it enacted in the way in which they wrote it. For instance, this is the Prophet Habakkuk’s account: Hab 3:2-16 "LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. ³ God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. ⁴ His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. ⁵ Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps." The reference to Teman and Mount Paran are explained in our Book of Isaiah Study (available at our website). This region is in the area of Mecca and Medina, the so-called holy sites of Islam. The Lord Jesus Himself is going to embark on a massive slaughter there and leave the area a wasteland. V6 "He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal. ⁷ I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. ⁸ Were you angry with the rivers, O LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode with your horses and your victorious chariots? ⁹ You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. Selah. You split the earth with rivers; ¹⁰ the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. ¹¹ Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. ¹² In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. ¹³ You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. (This is speaking of the Mighty Christ coming to save His anointed one, which Habakkuk knew was not himself.) You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. Selah. ¹⁴ With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding." You’ll find a reference to this leader of the land of wickedness in our Isaiah Bible study. He’s of the Leviathan class of monster, whom the Lord Christ will personally dispatch. An account of this killing of a Leviathan is found in Isa 27:1. Jesus Christ reserves the right for Himself to kill this type of beast – just as He states in Job 41.

Continuing in Hab 3:15 "You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. ¹⁶ I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. This nation is Babylon! Habakkuk knew that God would return to destroy the very nation that was then invading them, and these are the same babbling, incoherent lunatics who are plotting the destruction of the House of Israel and the House of Judah. So, of course, the day of calamity is going to come upon them – and at the hand of the Mighty One Himself! You only have to read the Book of Revelation to know how God feels about Babylon – the same Babylon and the only Babylon – and the one whom Habakkuk identified as the one invading them. Those people who are pregnant with evil and refuse to believe their Creator had better understand the calamity that is coming on them at the hands of the Babylonians of the Middle East. It’s surely coming!

Psa 7:14 He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. There will be plenty of disillusionment when God fires off His flaming arrows. Those who live in the Western nations live in relative peace and safety and remain oblivious to the many outrages that are committed each and every day. But when the scourge enters their borders and they’re faced with death on every side, who will they blame then? Naturally enough, in their minds it will all be God’s fault. As this verse states, these people are pregnant with evil yet the evil has not yet emerged, but it’s certainly growing within and will eventually burst forth.

Moses spoke of the curses of these last days in the Book of Deuteronomy and speaks of the feigned righteousness that will exist, only to burst forth in unthinkable and disgusting ways. This example that Moses gives relates to being pregnant with evil: Deut 28:56-57 "The most gentle and sensitive woman among you--so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot--will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter ⁵⁷ the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities." This verse hardly needs any emphasis, because the message is so very clear. The outward appearance of people today doesn’t reflect what is in their hearts. Without God’s Holy Spirit, no-one can know the limits of their evil. People might say, ‘No, no! I would never do such a thing!’ But God says they will! They are already pregnant with evil because they’ve refused obedience to God and now suffer the altered state of mind that comes with it. God gives His Holy Spirit only to those who obey Him! Acts 5:32 "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." Those who think they have God’s Holy Spirit, yet don’t obey His Commandments, are dreaming! The consequences of their rebellion against Him are going to manifest itself in unspeakable ways – just as God has predicted.

Psa 7:15 He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.

Psa 7:16 The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head. It might seem to be a mere coincidence, but there is a great pit that’s been dug where the Twin Towers once stood. The American people want a memorial built there as a reminder of what happened to 3,000 Americans. They want a constant reminder of the outrage committed by Islam. Against all odds, the planning committee has just released plans to build a 100 million dollar mosque close to the site. If you think the devil is mad, be aware that he has some serious competition for the title among the various administrations in America. After such an outrage of building a mosque at the site, one might have thought the people would have arisen and trashed City Hall and beaten up everyone in the building. But no! Most spokesmen are passively considering the proposition on the off-chance that they might ‘win some hearts and minds’! Is it any wonder that the wrath of Jesus Christ builds every day against those whose minds emulate that of the devil? Do any of these lunatics know that a mosque is a place of worship for the devil? God’s own language identifies them as the ‘synagogue of Satan’ in Rev 2:9. Such people, who act in defiance of God, have made themselves the enemies of God, and He has warned that He will fight against them Himself. The trouble they’ve caused will recoil on themselves and it will bring violence down on their own heads – as David states in the above verse.

Psa 7:17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. Let’s hope in coming days that there will be people among the Israelites who think like David. It’s alarming the number of professing Christians who now stand against the Jewish people. Against all the evidence, they’ve decided that the Jewish State of Israel is responsible for all the fomented violence and terrorism. If they thought logically, however, they would realize that the nation that was targeted on September 11, 2001 was America – a Christian nation! Who do Muslims attack and kill in their own cities and countries? It’s Christians! The Jews had nothing to do with any of these outrages, and even a blind fool could see that the forces of evil in this world are Muslims – all of them!

Psa 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. The day will come, in the final battles, when God’s Glory will be over the City of Jerusalem as a shield for His people. This is the time when God acts to put down all rebellion and to establish His Name in all the earth.

God intends to start with a clean slate, and a whole new array of teachable subjects. Jesus Christ touched on this when He said: Matt 19:14 "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." It’s this new generation that will inherit God’s Kingdom.

Psa 8:2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. Little children will cry out to God in sincerity, even though in the hands of God’s enemies, and appeal to Him to silence the foe and avenger. God makes it clear that He will listen to these children rather than those who have lived their lives in defiance of Him. Surely this makes sense to the rational mind.

Psa 8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

Psa 8:4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? David is typical of all the servants of Creator God. Neither David nor any of God’s servants would even countenance for a moment that God had not created everything. They know He did! True servants look at mankind and say, why is God even interested in them? They’re all just as hostile to God as any pagan devil-worshiper, and they seem to be just as incorrigible. Thankfully, a new generation will arise from the crucible of war and destruction that will show a little gratitude for their Creator when He rises to save them.

Psa 8:5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. God chose a species for a special purpose that was lower than the present rulers of the heavenly realms. This lower species was mankind, whom God made in His own image. What is more, he crowned them with honour and glory. This reference to crowning and honour and glory is the indication that they would take over from the heavenly beings that presently hold power on earth. God intends to replace these rulers with selective human beings who will be elevated over them, and who will, in turn, become members of the God Family as real sons and daughters – just like their elder Brother Jesus.

Psa 8:6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: (we’ll reference this below)

Psa 8:7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

Psa 8:8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. As we just said, Jesus will be the elder Brother of God’s Family, and everything will be put under His feet. The human kind was also made to be a ruler (V6 above) and to have everything put under his feet. This very phrase is used in connection with Jesus: 1Cor 15:22-28 "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." This passage of Scripture contains a reference to Psa 8:6 about putting everything under His feet. This is exactly what the verse in the Psalms says about the human rulers chosen by God. Jesus Christ being the firstfruit of this crop of rulers.

The LORD God gave mankind a limited role of rulership over all the flocks, herds and beasts of the field and the fish of the ocean. Certain ones of these were used as sacrifices to God. Mankind was given control of the destiny of all these. God accepted the sacrifice of bulls, rams, goats and lambs as righteous offerings. They learned the skills of husbandry over animals, and destroyed any beasts of the field that sought to attack them. All of which taught them valuable lessons about the purpose of life. It cost the blood of animals to sustain human life, which has portent for the sacrifice of the Lamb of God – Jesus Christ. Without the shedding of this valuable blood, there would have been no chance of any human-being surviving. God would have rung down the curtain on all mankind. Even up to the last moment, Jesus had the opportunity to back out and God would have immediately put at His disposal twelve legions of angels: Matt 26:53 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" Jesus knew the importance of going as a Lamb to the slaughter, and if He hadn’t, then the Scriptures would not have been fulfilled. It’s of paramount importance that all Scriptures be fulfilled, and not a single dot, or any stroke of the pen, can disappear until all is fulfilled. And this is why all prophecy is very important, and why everything must be fulfilled. This includes everything that the Lord Christ is destined to do when He returns in fulfillment of all prophecy. As any Bible student would know, there is plenty of prophecy yet to be fulfilled by Jesus, and not the least of it will pass away until it’s fulfilled. This is what all the Prophets wrote about, including David. Jesus Christ is coming back to rule the whole earth!

Psa 8:9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psa 9:1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.

Psa 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psa 9:3 My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.

Psa 9:4 For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

Psa 9:5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Never to be remembered again! They chose their own way and are worthless for any purpose. We are either with God or we’re against Him – just as Jesus stated: Matt 12:30-32 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. ³¹ And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." What is being said here is that anything said against the man Jesus will be forgiven, but anything spoken against His Testimony, which is given through the Spirit of God, will never be forgiven – either in this age or the age to come. The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev 19:10). When Jesus says that anyone who is not with Him is against Him, He further qualifies this as those who don’t gather with Him and as those who scatter others and prevent them from entering the Kingdom. There are plenty of these today! Such people will never be forgiven, and they will never enter God’s Kingdom!

Jesus Christ spoke of the days of Noah, and stated that these last days would be just like them: Matt 24:37-39 "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." There are a lot of people who think they know what is to happen, but without the Spirit of Prophecy, they will know nothing until they are swept away. Long ago, God said He would not destroy the earth’s inhabitants with water again, so the flood that will sweep them away is the flood of war. Jesus was directing this prophecy to the House of Israel, and He made it plain that He had come only to ‘the lost sheep of Israel’. The rest of the nations can take notice, but their ranks will be thinned by things of far greater magnitude than a flood of war. All these things will be clarified when we come to the opening of the Seventh Seal, and the time for this is not yet!

Psa 9:6 Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. There were vast hordes wiped out in the Great Flood, and no-one remembers any of them. It’s as if they never existed. Occasionally, the odd one or two have been found buried in deep gorges in hardened clay and sandstone. Anthropologists, who know nothing about anything, give the fossil remains ridiculous ages, like two million years based on their equally ridiculous methods of age-dating.

Psa 9:7 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. God has made many judgments in the past, and one of these judgments fell on the people in Noah’s time. Not only did they perish in the Great Flood, but all memory of them was wiped out. In retrospect we can conclude that this was a very good judgment. The world at that time was filled with violence (Gen 6:11-13) and there was no obedience to God anywhere. Only Noah stood out from the crowd, and he turned out to be an exceptional man. God gave him the plans for the Ark and Noah went ahead and built it with iron tools. And just to dispel the madness about the stone age, the bronze age and the iron age myths, it was a close descendant of Adam’s son Cain who became a manufacturer of bronze and iron tools: Gen 4:19-22 "Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. ²¹ His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. ²² Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah."

Psa 9:8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. People may have varying views about what righteousness is, but their views will almost certainly be revised by what is now coming on this earth. God intends to judge the world once more. God’s righteousness will be enforced on the whole world and He will ensure that justice is served. God is the Creator and He makes the rules. The sooner people realize this, the sooner they will find relief from their woes.

Psa 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. The Creator God has clear intentions towards those who revere Him, and He will act on their behalf. He will provide refuge for them in the troublous times ahead. The well-being of such people will depend on their willingness to believe and obey.

Psa 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. God has never been very specific in declaring His Name. In this instance, He is referring to a certain people who will know God’s true Name. Rev 14:1 "Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads." So the Names of the Father and the Lamb (Son) will be written on the foreheads of the 144,000 (12,000 from each of the Tribes of Israel).

In the Great Tribulation, even the Churches of God will receive the assurance of this, though not on their foreheads. Rather, they will be given a white stone with the Name written on it, and this Name will be known only to those who receive it. These are the ones who will refuse the name of the beast. This will be their ticket to receiving the hidden manna which will sustain them. Rev 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." The hidden manna is the food of angels, which can sustain them (the angels) for long periods of time. In Moses’ day, the Israelites gathered the manna and used it to make bread. The hidden manna is a little different, and appears on the roof of the mouth, as a substance like honey, just as it does with the angels. Those who are given the white stone, with the Name written on it, will receive this manna and they will survive. They will survive because they overcame the odds against them. In other words, they stood their ground and refused to deny God.

Psa 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. ‘Zionism’ means to take the Kingdom of God by force and to drive out God’s enemies – just as God instructed the Israelites anciently in the day of Moses. Taking the Kingdom by force means more than this. It also includes hammering the nations that surround the Holy Land and leaving them a ruin. Anyone with any form of logic still left today, would know which nations these are. Very plainly, it’s all of Islam today. These people worship Allah the devil, so God certainly doesn’t want them as neighbours when He sits enthroned in Zion! So who is God going to call to prepare the way for Him? This question is already settled! It’s the Levite just like Moses and just like John the Baptist. The other branch of the House of David is obviously Judah. Who else, other than Judah, could God call to prepare the Holy Land for Him? Ephraim, Britain, Europe? That’s a laugh! These are all ganging up on the Jews – yet again! And, oh boy, did they ever get this wrong! Salvation is of the Jews – just as Jesus said, and if the Tribes of Israel have any hope of being rescued, then they’ll need a marked change in attitude.

Psa 9:12 For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. Who is being afflicted today – and without cause? Once again, it’s Judah!

Psa 9:13 O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

Psa 9:14 that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation. This prophecy of David is speaking of God’s salvation – the only salvation that comes from God. And this is salvation from the enemy. In the 23^rd Psalm, David speaks of walking in the valley of the shadow of Death, and in the above verse, he speaks of the gates of Death. As a prophet of God, David knew all about the rulers of the heavenly realms, and especially the one named Death, who is mentioned specifically by name in Rev 6:8.

Psa 9:15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The Western nations have been busily trying to ensnare the State of Israel, while simultaneously placating God’s enemies. In days to come they will praise God that Judah is so forgiving of their outrageous and treacherous behaviour. Yet it will be too late for the vast majority of them. Some people just never learn!

Psa 9:16 The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah. And they have only themselves to blame. God makes no secret of the fact that He will consider all that they have done and deliver it back on their own heads. Much of this can be explained merely by remembering the slogan, ‘to win their hearts and minds’ which is a reference to placating God’s enemy – Islam! The crazy U.S. Administration believes they can rehabilitate Islam! It’s now been ten years of war with Islam, and what are the results so far? Have they ‘won any hearts and minds’ among these savage degenerates? No? And neither will they ever! Very soon you will see how God deals with them.

Psa 9:17 The wicked return to the grave ("Dust you are and to dust you will return"), all the nations that forget God. Most of the nations have never known God so they have nothing to forget. The House of Israel, however, did know God, even though they never served Him. Instead, they have served only themselves, but always hoped for and expected His blessings. The Great God was overly generous to them and lavished blessings on them beyond their wildest imaginings. But the more He blessed them the further they went from Him. God knew this would happen and predicted it: Hos 11:1-4 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. ² But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. ³ It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. ⁴ I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them." The rest of the Book of Hosea speaks of Ephraim’s demise and captivity in these last days. This Book concludes with these words: Hos 14:9 "Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." The wise and discerning ones know that Ephraim will return to captivity and everything God gave them will be taken away, and they’ll be left in want of all things.

Psa 9:18 But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

Psa 9:19 Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Even though the nations that knew God have forgotten Him, yet David appeals to God not to let man triumph over His people, but rather to judge all these nations in His presence. And this is exactly what God plans! He is going to gather all nations on the face of the earth against Him for a final battle, and in the Valley of Armageddon He will crush them as like a wine-press and their blood will flow to the depth of a horse’s bridle (Rev 14:20).

Psa 9:20 Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Selah. Justice! Now there’s a word with meaning. These nations that inflicted terror will have it delivered on their own heads! If they thought they were invincible and could challenge God, then they will quickly learn that they are but human – and they bleed! Clearly, they backed the wrong horse.

In this Psalm, David continues the same theme and speaks of the situation just prior to the LORD God being King for ever and ever (see V16 below). David speaks of calamitous times when the LORD hides away from His people and makes Himself inaccessible to them. They are on their own to bear their own guilt. As the beginnings of sorrows take hold, the people of Ephraim are going to face the enemy in their communities, in their streets and in their homes. They will be everywhere, after flooding over the border. Satan has been preparing these people for centuries for this very outrage. What makes these people so different is that for centuries they’ve made a pretense of being Christians. In V4 it says ‘in all their thoughts there is no room for God’. Their dark thoughts easily overpower any thought for God, and they seek only to fulfill the cravings of their hearts. And as V5 says, God’s Laws are far from them. Yes, that identifies fake Christianity all right!

Psa 10:1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? The reason is that it’s the time for punishment, and it’s certainly not something that God takes pleasure in. Nor does any normal, rational human being, but even so, it’s obvious that nothing short of the severest calamity is going to bring the West to their senses. They can’t even recognize the enemy today, so how could they possibly be used to wipe Satan’s brood off the face of the earth? God doesn’t want the West to ‘win their hearts and minds’, God wants them to recognize their evil, murderous, lying treachery and deliver justice! The pages of the Bible are full of God’s intent, and in all honesty, no Bible student could fail to see it.

Psa 10:2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. There are schemes afoot to give them legality to overrun the country, and these scheming beasts will take full advantage of it. When millions of them flood in, what are the American people going to do? Hide in a closet? When huge marauding gangs start pillaging, the people will have no protection at all. Even now, Obama is trying to disarm the people and deny them the right to bear arms. When widespread looting, burning, raping and killing become widespread, the law becomes paralyzed and incapable of being enforced.

Psa 10:3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. The cravings of his heart are the property of others, and he will boast of his acquisition of them. You’ll soon find out the the Catholic church’s conversion of these pagans was a waste of time. Once they gain power they will revile the LORD God.

Psa 10:4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him (God); in all his thoughts there is no room for God. In their pride, these wicked creatures soon forget about God – there’s no room for Him anymore! This goes to suggest a former religious attachment. Of course, the Latinos are not the only street gangs in America and these other organized gangs probably have members who were once attached to Christianity. Plunder and murder become crimes of opportunity when times get tough, and this is exactly what is going to happen in the run-up to establishing God’s Kingdom. Many things will contribute to this. But one of the central reasons why all this will happen is because the House of Israel has abandoned God’s Law. Since they have abandoned God’s Law, God is going to abandon their law and to accomplish this, God intends to wipe out all the law-givers in one catastrophic stroke. These law-givers operate in Washington, DC.

Psa 10:5 His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.

Psa 10:6 He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble." If they have big enough gangs who’ll give them trouble in a lawless land? Certainly not God! God will allow the punishment of His people Ephraim to continue. And anyway, God’s concern will be in the State of Israel at that time, in preparation for the Kingdom of God. The rescue of the Jews will greatly override His concerns for America.

Psa 10:7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

Psa 10:8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. As we read in V1 of this Psalm, this is a prophecy about a time of great trouble – a time when God hides His face from His people Ephraim. The evil creatures or ‘strangers’ in the land will gain the upper hand. Rape, murder and plundering are the type of things they’re particularly good at. These people are well-practiced in all these things. Sure you know of exceptions to this, and this is true of all races and peoples, but these few exceptions will do nothing to help you when multiple millions flood into the land. It’ll be every man for himself!

Psa 10:9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. The days of the highwaymen and robber barons became a thing of the past when efficient law-enforcement became the norm. But when law and order become paralyzed and non-functional, everyone will be on their own with no-one to rescue them. It will be so widespread that no-one will venture to track down either the perpetrators or their victims. The law will be paralyzed.

Psa 10:10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. That is, strength of numbers. Satan has been grooming hundreds of millions of these creatures for centuries – and for this very day!

Psa 10:11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees." So even these evil creatures acknowledge that God is hiding His face from the House of Israel! This will greatly embolden them to commit even worse atrocities. So lock up your daughters.

Psa 10:12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Yes, it’s always the helpless that suffers, and David makes an appeal on their behalf.

Psa 10:13 Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"? These vile beasts will know that God is not going to intervene, that He is hiding His face from His people, so they know that God won’t call them to account. They’ll be emboldened to become even worse. In the end there will be no restraint whatsoever!

Psa 10:14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. When one sees so much trouble and grief, these victims will turn to God for help. The fatherless, that is, orphaned children, who will be victims of these evil creatures will be helped by God. This is a part of God’s Plan to rescue the innocent of the new generation – a young and teachable generation.

Psa 10:15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. Even in the event of a complete reversal of the situation, there is no chance of prosecuting such vast numbers of offenders in accordance with law. In such circumstances, only God could deliver the type of justice needed. God intends to do just that. But first, the Kingdom of God must be established and a homeland provided for the afflicted and the orphans who remain.

Psa 10:16 The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. Once all the pagan nations are removed far from God’s Land, and the dwellings are restored, God will turn His hand to help the little ones – the fatherless and the oppressed.

Psa 10:17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

Psa 10:18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. There will be no-one to terrorize them ever again once they enter God’s Land – because then, God will be watching over them.

While all this terrible carnage is sweeping across the land of Ephraim, just as the Prophet David described, David becomes very anxious. At the time of writing, the House of David ruled over all 12 Tribes of Israel. David was a mighty warrior, and even though he had just fought a civil war against Ephraim and killed 20,000 of his warriors, he saw, as his duty, the obligation to go to their aid in this horrific time of trouble. David knew from the beginning that he was the commander of the armies of the Living God (1Sam 17:26). Being a true warrior, David was taken aback at God’s instruction when He told him to flee (or fly) like a bird to his mountain.

Psa 11:1 In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain"? David was being told to fly off like a bird (eagle) to its mountain refuge. This was not something that David was in the habit of doing. Being a mighty warrior, he always took the fight to his enemies, and especially when the upright and innocent were being slaughtered and he goes on to mention this:

Psa 11:2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. These dark forces were killing his people and David wanted to act on their behalf. David didn’t know at that time that the House of David would do exactly as he would have done, but only at the appointed time.

Psa 11:3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" The foundations of the earth are the landmasses, which will undergo a major restructuring to what they once were. In Psalm 18, David goes into a considerable description about this. Here’s a sample of what he wrote: Psa 18:7 "The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. ⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. ⁹ He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. ¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind." And in V15 "The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils." We’ll leave further comment about this until we get to Psalm 18.

Psa 11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. At the time of the Father’s choosing, the LORD Christ will arise to act.

Psa 11:5 The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. The LORD is examining both the righteous and the wicked, in fact, all the sons of men, and considering the whole situation. There are 144,000 of the Tribes of Israel that must be sealed for everlasting rule (Rev 7:3), and this is one of the factors under consideration. This sealing of God’s servants (sons) must be done before the scorching hot winds begin to blow and God reigns down fiery hell on all mankind. David wrote of this in the very next verse:

Psa 11:6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. When the appointed number of God’s servants is reached, the four angels that are holding back the winds will be released (Rev 7:1).

Psa 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face. Not only will they see His face, but they will also have the Names of the Father and the Son written on their foreheads. It’s for these faithful and true sons of God that the House of David will be fighting for. It will be just as it was in David’s day.

Psa 12:1 Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Who are the ones generally targeted by the persecutors? At this present moment, persecution is usually just words, but this is about to take a quantum leap.

Psa 12:2 Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. You may think that the enemy is only outside your borders, but all the prophets, including Jesus Christ, warned about the enemy within. There is a mindset within some people that cannot be altered. These people are greedy for power and recognition and they’ll betray anyone who offers a view that runs counter to theirs. Not only will it be a terrible time of betrayal by neighbours and former friends, but even those of your own family will be willing to betray those who faithfully serve God, including their own flesh and blood. This is what Jesus Christ had to say in this regard: Matt 10:34-42 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn "`a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- ³⁶ a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' ³⁷ "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸ and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ⁴⁰ "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Psa 12:3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue

Psa 12:4 that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips -- who is our master?" Not even God is their master! Instead they are slaves of the devil, who was a liar and a murderer from the beginning.

What is more, these ‘masters of their own destiny’ will bring terrible persecution on the weak and the needy even after the godly and faithful have vanished from among men (see V1 again).

Psa 12:5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them." These boastful liars with flattering lips will soon find out they have no standing whatsoever with God! They think their own church speaks for God, but they don’t realize that God has marked them for death.

Psa 12:6 And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. God’s words are flawless, but the wicked could never see this. They never understood or believed the Scriptures; they were only interested in selective verses that seemed to cast them in a good light – in the eyes of others. God states that His words are like silver refined in a furnace of clay – purified seven times. To entrust these refined and precious words, He chose specific servants who are likewise refined like silver and gold in the furnace. God chose the other party to the House of David – the Levites! Not only did God call a man called Levi to be a teacher of righteousness, but He also called him to be the messenger to precede the True Messenger – Jesus Christ! No-one else is going to be able to fake this! Mal 3:1-5 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. ² But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴ and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years. ⁵ "So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty."

Psa 12:7 O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever.

Psa 12:8 The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men. You’ll notice from the wording here that these strutting, evil creatures will enjoy their power over others to bring them to destruction. Retribution, however, will be swift! We’ll learn a lot more about what is vile being honored among men!

Aaron Klein, Jerusalem bureau chief for World Net Daily, reports from New York:

In January, WND reported Ayers, Dohrn and Evans were involved in provoking chaos on the streets of Egypt in an attempt to enter Gaza with the Free Gaza Movement to join in solidarity with the territory’s population and leadership.

Psa 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? God will hide His face from them for just a little while, but the outcome will be glorious.

Psa 13:2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Those who love God’s people Judah and long for Zion to come (David was one of these) and to see God’s Kingdom established, are horrified by the conduct of Ephraim. All of God’s servants were horrified to see a Muslim President elected over the mightiest nation on earth. They were even more horrified to learn of his former associations with terrorists like Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn – both of whom were his long-term mentors. Now we see the evil fruit of his former associations impacting on God’s people Judah – their saviors, no less! God’s chosen people of Judah are destined to bring salvation to all the survivors of the Tribes of Israel – whether you like it or not!

Psa 13:3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

Psa 13:4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. David cries out to God to open his eyes to see the answer to this horrific situation. Very quickly, he sees the answer and the outcome and he rejoices in God’s salvation from the hands of their enemies:

Psa 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. As can be plainly seen from these verses, David is speaking of true salvation. That is, salvation from the enemy!

Psa 13:6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. Both David and his Tribe of Judah knew what salvation meant. Again and again, God saved David and his people. Since Christianity generally ignores the Scriptures that Jesus Christ used, they have no real concept of what salvation means. It’s become an airy-fairy meaningless term, which no-one can logically define. To be saved means to be rescued!

Psa 14:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. Well this pretty much summarizes what is happening today!

Psa 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. God makes a distinction here between the sons of men and the sons of God. There is a wide disparity between these two: Rom 8:14 "Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Matt 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Does anyone have any realistic idea of what it will take to make peace? The Mighty Warrior Jesus will soon be demonstrating this to the whole world, and when He has finished with them, they will be peaceful – or else! Any sign of recidivism will be counteracted with a rod of iron! So don’t think for one moment that words alone will accomplish this! And yes, God does have sons on earth today, and they have been purified like gold and silver to conform to the image of His Son Jesus. Who else would God choose to prepare the way for Him?

Later in this study, we’ll get to a whole lot of details about God’s choice of His people Judah as the founding nation of the Kingdom of God. We won’t preempt it here, but here’s a small sample: Ps 78:65-68 "Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine. ⁶⁶ He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame. ⁶⁷ Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; ⁶⁸ but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved." God chose the Tribe of Judah, which He refers to here as Mount Zion. What is more, He emphasises that He did not choose the Tribe of Ephraim! Just imagine Ephraim trying to teach God’s ways to the world! And just imagine Ephraim trying to establish Zion! They are hell-bent on destroying the Tribe of Judah! And now, every action against Judah will result in Ephraim’s chains getting heavier. And God has special instruction to all Jew-haters: Ps 129:5 "May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame." I can give you this promise right now; none of these people will set foot in Zion – they will never make it into the Kingdom of God. They’ll be shipped right back to the enemy, and these evil creatures will surely deal with them in the manner they deserve! For anyone still living in dreamland, then it’s time to wake up.

Psa 14:3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. So this serves to clarify the conduct of the sons of men! They’ve all turned aside from obedience to God, so God’s instructions are to turn them aside should they attempt to seek salvation in Zion. That’s fair, isn’t it? God doesn’t want them – period! They are useless and worthless, and they never learn.

Psa 14:4 Will evildoers never learn-- those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD? And who is God referring to as ‘my people’? Obviously, it’s the Tribe of Judah. It’s Judah that is being devoured by the audacious scheming of the Muslim creature in the White House and the evil-doers in the nation of Ephraim never learn.

Psa 14:5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. Hopefully, the reader will see the difference between the evil-doers and the righteous. The evil-doers are at the forefront of opposing the Laws of God and forbidding their display in any public place, while the righteous have upheld all of God’s Laws for thousands of years and through numerous holocausts and persecutions. Well, the evil-doers will find themselves overwhelmed with dread and they’ll have only themselves to blame.

Psa 14:6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. God will rescue His people Judah, and provide refuge for them. Not so the House of Israel – and Ephraim in particular! Through the long dark night, which will last for years, Ephraim will be decimated until they are no longer a people. When all hope is gone, salvation will emerge from Zion – and the survivors of Ephraim will be so pleased to see it. The little nation they plotted to destroy, and turn over to the enemy, will emerge as their saviours. Salvation will come out of Zion!

Psa 14:7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! The House of Israel will certainly be glad to see that God has organized their salvation, though I imagine they’ll be shocked to know that Jerusalem has become the mightiest power on earth and fully capable of doing everything the House of Israel failed to do.

In this very short Psalm, David ponders who may live in Jerusalem, when salvation for the Tribes of Israel begins. In other words, in God’s Kingdom there will be certain desirable qualities that must be adhered to. Remarkably, these are very similar to the teachings of Jesus on the sacred mountain of Tabor in Galilee. It was on this mountain that Jesus Christ gave the famous ‘sermon on the mount’. It would be remiss of us if we didn’t make certain observations about this. Jesus was, at that time, in the former territories of the Ten Tribes of Israel before they went into captivity. In Matt 4:23-25 we learn that people from all over the territory followed Him around Galilee and listened to Him preaching from Mount Tabor. His teachings are covered in the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th chapters of Matthew.

There is yet another interesting aspect to Mount Tabor spoken of by the Apostle Peter, who refers to this mount as the Sacred Mountain. It was here that Peter and the two brothers, James and John saw a vision of Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah (Matt 17:1-3). Then they heard a voice above emanating from the Majestic Glory – the dwelling-place of God, which was hovering just above Mount Tabor. This is Peter’s account: 2Pet 1:16 "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." ^{n 18} We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." We’ve mentioned these things because there are a lot of cleverly invented stories going around today, and one of these is that Jesus gave the ‘sermon on the mount’ from the Mount of Olives, which is absolute nonsense.

Psa 15:1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? Those who live on God’s Holy Hill of Zion must be decent, virtuous men and women. They must walk in righteousness and speak God’s Truth from the heart. Such people will live in peace and not slander each other or have any issues with their neighbour, and neither will they cast a slur on each other. In other words, they must be blameless.

Psa 15:2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart

Psa 15:3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,

Psa 15:4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,

Psa 15:5 who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. This is the type of community that must develop among those who dwell on Mount Zion. These people will despise the vile man (V4 above) and will make sure he has no place among them. This is the standard that will be set for all who enter God’s Kingdom. Anyone failing to meet this standard will be either thrust out or refused admission. Today, there is such a perversion of the intent of the ‘sermon on the mount’ that people are filled with the delusion that they must love the vile man! If anyone wants to start loving those whom God hates, then they obviously don’t have anything in common with God.

And just to reinforce the fact that the ‘sermon on the mount’ was preparing the people to enter God’s Kingdom, Jesus said this while on the Sacred Mountain: Matt 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. <sup>22</sup> Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' " These people are obviously not doing the will of the Father! Yet they’ll be trying to scam their way into the Kingdom of God. They’ll come seeking refuge from the overwhelming dread in their own nations, but on the advice of Jesus Christ Himself, they will be denied entry.

Psa 16:1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

Psa 16:2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

Psa 16:3 As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. ‘Saints’ are those who have God’s Holy Spirit – and besides these there are no saints! It’s the saints that will inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus even added further qualification when He said these words: Luke 13:26-28 "Then you will say, `We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will reply, `I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' ²⁸ "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out." I know it won’t be too popular to confirm it, but those who call themselves ‘Christian’ yet don’t believe the Law and the Prophets will not be recognized by the Lord Jesus, and what is more, such people will be thrown out of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ was very careful to fulfill all that is written in the Prophets at His first appearance. Christians, generally, don’t care what the Prophets reveal about His second appearance because they’ve already made up their own minds about what they believe, and their beliefs have nothing to do with the writings of the Prophets. All the prophets had God’s Holy Spirit, and they spoke as they were directed by the Holy Spirit. The saints today are those who obey the Law and the Prophets, and what is more, they believe God and His Word. Those who don’t are considered as pagans.

Psa 16:4 The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. Is Allah a god? Allah is the devil, and he is currently the god of this world in all its forms, including the religion of Islam. The definition of a libation is: The act of pouring a liquid offering (especially wine) as a religious ceremony. Does anyone imagine that after running after other gods, they can partake of the Passover instituted by Jesus Christ – the most sacred of libations? Very plainly, they cannot! And as for taking up their names on His lips, God will plainly say "He never knew them"! The sorrows of such people will greatly increase!

Psa 16:5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. David is making note of the portion in his cup – the Sacred Libation, which represents the Blood of Christ.

Psa 16:6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. The boundary lines for the Kingdom of God will surely include all the pleasant places! The general trend in the Western nations today is to kiss-up to Islam and to honour their god Allah. They seem to believe that the State of Israel (Tribe of Judah) has no right to boundaries, but insist that Satan’s hordes do. Well, this madness is about to be reversed. It’s the Western nations that will no longer have boundaries when the scourge overtakes them! They made a huge blunder when they betrayed Jerusalem and God’s Holy Land in favour of foreign gods – and especially the foreign god called Allah.

Psa 16:7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. Now this is something that professing Christians would not understand. They have no idea how God counsels those who obey Him, and what is more, they never will until they start obeying God. They’ll understand nothing until the flood comes and sweeps them away.

Psa 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. The disobedient don’t have any guardian angels around them, and this is something they will learn the hard way.

Psa 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

Psa 16:10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. Even the most uninformed Christian will know that this is a prophecy about the Lord Jesus. It was paramount to the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy that Jesus arose before His Body saw decay. He could not be abandoned to the grave. Jesus fulfilled this by rising from the dead at the end of the 3^rd day. As the Passover Lamb (and it was the Passover that David referred to with the reference about ‘libations of blood’), He died on the Passover (Wednesday on the 14^th Nisan, 30 AD) and arose on the Saturday night at sundown – three full days! The first of these three days was the First Day of Unleavened Bread – an Annual Holy Day or Annual Sabbath. Jesus described Himself as the ‘Bread of Life’: John 6:43-51 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: `They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Psa 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. How often have you heard Christians talking about the ‘path of life’, yet they flat-out refuse to observe the Passover! Anyone who fails to eat of the Passover has no life in the hereafter, and they certainly don’t have any chance of living forever! Even Paul spoke about this concerning people taking the Passover unworthily: 1Cor 11:27-32 "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. ²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. ³² When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world."

And just one parting comment before we move it along, God’s pure leavening does just the opposite. It does not cause pomposity but humility because it imparts true knowledge. Only those who’ve been taught by God would understand this. Anyone who fails to observe the Passover in a worthy manner will never participate in the promised hidden manna (Rev 2:17) and this will result in death. Jesus demonstrated to His disciples about hidden manna: John 4:31-33 "Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." ³² But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." ³³ Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" You’ll notice that Jesus didn’t say He wasn’t hungry; rather He said He had food to eat – which the disciples knew nothing about. John, who wrote this account, was later to learn on the Isle of Patmos exactly what Jesus meant when he wrote about the hidden manna in Rev 2:17. When this hidden manna is eaten, no-one else knows anything about it. It’s the food of angels.

Psa 17:1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer-- it does not rise from deceitful lips.

Psa 17:2 May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. The Prophet Isaiah spoke of this vindication from God. God confirmed that His servants would refute every tongue that accuses them – not by words, but by deeds! This is the passage: Isa 54:13-17 "All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. ¹⁴ In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. ¹⁵ If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you. ¹⁶ "See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; ¹⁷ no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD." This is God’s vindication of His servants who’ve been taught by Him and this is their heritage. While all the effeminate weaklings like to stand off accusing God’s servants, God’s vindication will come in the form of crushing power through a destroyer-class craft – the type that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, leaving no trace. All the sissy weapons arraigned against this craft will be met with overwhelming force. None of their weapons will prevail! Obviously, once the servants of the LORD are established, there’ll be hope generated in others who won’t be interested in listening to ‘cleverly invented stories’ as the Apostle Peter put it; in fact, they’ll have no interest in fiction at all. The servants of God leave this to the clowns who like to present themselves as angels of light.

Psa 17:3 Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful turnaround if the churches followed this example? No more cleverly invented stories they like to make up. No more lies and deceit about God. No more perverted doctrines that teach disobedience. It would really be a life-changer, now wouldn’t it?

Psa 17:4 As for the deeds of men-- by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. And what are the ways of the violent? We see them operating everyday, killing the innocent and blowing them to pieces all in the name of Allah. Would a just God allow this to continue in His Kingdom? As we’re about to see in the next couple of Psalms, David is prophesying about the Kingdom of God and it’s establishment in times of trouble. The first step is to establish His servants who have been taught by Him and to fit them out with the means to destroy His enemies. These violent creatures have to be eradicated from the Holy Land in the beginning salvos. Then these salvos will extend beyond the borders to all those who surround the Holy Land. And we all know who surrounds the Holy Land, don’t we? It’s Islam!

Psa 17:5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped. David is speaking here about obedience to God and says he has held to God’s paths. In other words, he has not deviated to the right or left. Then he mentioned that his feet have not slipped. This may seem a meaningless little statement, but like everything else in the Word of God, it has a very important and profound meaning – especially in these last days. The answer is found in something that the Apostle Paul wrote. In the 6^th chapter of Ephesians, he speaks of the real enemy – that is not flesh and blood. He names them all as the spirit rulers of the heavenly realms. Eph 6:10-15 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." And there’s the answer in the last verse. Your feet must be fitted with the Gospel of peace to enable you to stand firm, to stand your ground! This means no retreat! No fleeing – not as some churches instruct their congregations. You must have the courage to stand against them and to stand your ground. This will only happen if you have on the full armour of God. You won’t be much like Jesus if you don’t! This will prove to be very important information in days to come.

These are spirit beings or demons and there are millions of them on earth. In Paul’s time, Christianity was under siege and many were being rounded up and killed. These were grim times. Paul knew that it was these demons that were whipping up trouble and leading to bloodshed among Christians. Those who are evil are the natural allies of these demons and they work them like glove puppets. But it’s still human beings that kill other humans and ultimately, these are the ones the persecuted ones must face. Yet as Paul points out, the driving force of these violent men is demonic. Paul ought to know! After all, before he became Paul, his name was Saul. Saul of Tarsus was a member of the Sanhedrin, and his job was to round up Christians and have them stoned to death. He actually believed he was doing God a service. Later, Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and changed his life. He became a devout Christian and went on to suffer many persecutions himself (2Cor 11:22-28).

As we’ve already seen, David takes on the role of the One whose body will never see decay. I think we all know that David died and was buried. We find these words from Luke: Acts 2:29-35 "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. ³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit (the Holy Spirit that was given in Jesus Name – called the Counsellor – see John 14:25) and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "`The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand ³⁵ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' With these words, we plainly see that the Prophet David was speaking in parables. What he often said of himself, he was really referring to his future progeny Jesus Christ, and through His Holy Spirit, called the Counselor, to His disciples who would follow.

David was the forefather of Jesus and predicted the coming of his famous Son, who happily referred to Himself the Son of David. David knew that he would die and that his body would decay, but he also knew that his future Son would die but His body would not see decay. He would be resurrected and would return to the Father from where He came. Jesus told the Churches that He was the root and offspring of David: Rev 22:16-17 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." ¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Naturally enough, if you don’t come and drink the perfect Word of God and obey it, then you have no part of Jesus. The Bride, of course, are those who possess Christ’s Spirit – called the Counsellor – which reveals everything that will happen. As Jesus pointed out to His disciples, the Counsellor was with them, and would soon be in them (John 14:17). This Spirit of Christ was in all the true Prophets down through the ages. All those who have prophesied falsely don’t have this Holy Spirit of Christ – which God sent in His Name.

Jesus was the very Root from which David grew. In saying this, Jesus was making it clear that David was also His Son because they both possessed the same Spirit. As we’ve just seen, Luke confirmed that David was a prophet. And David prophesied! The prophets of old spoke many times and in various ways. This is confirmed in Heb 1:1-2 "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." The Son of God speaks to His people through His Spirit, which is called the Counsellor – an addition to the Spirit of God the Father. With this additional Spirit, the Holy Spirit becomes a double portion. When a true prophet speaks, He is speaking the words of the Lord Christ in accordance with His instructions. A prophet is required to speak the Word of God and to reveal its meaning. In addition to this, a prophet of God must be able to explain the meaning of the Scriptures that Jesus Christ used – the Old Testament – the only Scriptures that existed in His day. These are the Scriptures that the Lord Christ quoted from repeatedly in regard to Bible prophecy.

So now we understand that Jesus was both a Root and Offspring of David, that is both a father and son of David, so David was also the offspring of Jesus. In fact, David was a living example of Jesus because he had the Spirit of Christ. In fact, all the prophets did. We find this confirmation in 1Pet 1:10-11 "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things."

Psa 17:6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. This is the first step – to draw close to God just as Jesus did on the eve of His arrest. He prayed until his very sweat became like blood. He was in mental anguish – just like any human-being would. He knew it was going to be a tortuous trial and He needed the added strength of His Father to get through it. As we previously pointed out, Jesus didn’t have to go through it – he could have called it off in a moment. He could have asked the Father for 12 legions of angels and they would have been put at his disposal immediately, but then how would prophecy have been fulfilled? Matt 26:53-54 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

This will be a time of trouble unlike anything that has ever happened in the world to this very day. As we’ve said many times in the past, prepare to go early. If you flee and try to escape your eventual suffering will be greater. Jesus said this: Matt 10:37-38 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸ and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." When Jesus took His cross, He was on the way to His death – and this is the meaning of this! We all know, only too well, how much people like to act out a charade of carrying a cross in pretence of taking up the same cross that Jesus had to bear. Now the reality of Jesus words will become evident. Soldiers in battle lay down their lives every day for their country. There is nothing bizarre about laying down one’s life for God – if you have the same mind as Jesus. Soldiers have set the example, but Christians must follow the example of Jesus and the certain expectation that they will be raised from the dead. Jesus went to His death knowing that God would raise Him from the dead – and this is what happened. His body did not see decay before He was raised. This is the same mindset that Christians must have.

Psa 17:7 Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.

Psa 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

Psa 17:9 from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.

Psa 17:10 They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.

Psa 17:11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

Psa 17:12 They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover. David realizes that these evil creatures will hunt down those God loves and bloodbaths will follow. All of which has been predicted throughout the Bible, and especially by Jesus and the Apostles. It will be a time of terrible trouble!

Psa 17:13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword. It’s made very clear that there is a two-edged sword in the hand of the Mighty One Jesus. A two-edged sword is a slashing, killing instrument in His hand, just as it was in the hand of David – a mighty warrior in his own right. David was acknowledging that the day would come when the weapons of man would not be enough against a powerful enemy, but the weapons of God would!

Psa 17:14 O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life (there is no life in the hereafter for these evil creatures – they will be dead forever). You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children. These, whom God cherishes, will store up wealth for their offspring and make sure they are well-provided for in God’s Kingdom.

Psa 17:15 And I--in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. David died with the faith to know that he would be raised from the dead, and this is what God requires of all His children.

Jesus Christ made it very clear that the time would come when His followers would be delivered up to be killed. He said, to take no thought of what you should say, because the words to speak would be given you. And what words will be given? Jesus has already given us the clues to this when He said, they can kill the body but not the Spirit. The words you will speak will go something like this: "You can kill my body but not my Spirit. My Spirit will return to my Maker, and through this Spirit I will live again, and I will be back! Be aware, that I will be actively engaged in tracking you down and you will die a horrible death. My God is a God of vengeance and He will repay!" And just to dispel all doubts, when Jesus was raised from the dead after suffering on the cross, He specifically visited the demons in the Abyss and triumphed over them! 1Pet 3:18-19 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹ through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison ²⁰ who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built." What is more, He triumphed over them because He was now alive and would be judging them in the future. Col 2:15 "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

And just to clarify all this, notice what the Lord Jesus had to say: Matt 10:17-36 "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹ "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²² All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³ When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." The point is that when family members begin to arise against you, you need to forsake them and leave and go someplace else. Don’t hang around until they betray you and have you put to death. Some of these family members will actually believe they are doing God a service in betraying you, so don’t give them the satisfaction. You must love God more than blood relatives. V24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! This is a subtle reminder that when Satan encounters a true servant of God, he makes every effort to install an agent among them. Forget the fiction that the Jews killed Jesus! It was the Jews who took the message of Christianity into all the world. The Scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees were demons, and Jesus pointed out that these demons were responsible for killing righteous Abel (Matt 23:35). The Jews were not even born when Abel was murdered. Jesus was laying the blame squarely on the prince of demons – Satan himself, who was commonly referred to as Beelzebub.

Beelzebub is Satan the devil. This is confirmed in this passage: Matt 12:24-28 "But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." ²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Beelzebub or Baal-zebub is Satan the devil – as Jesus confirmed, and Baal is also the devil. So when family members begin to persecute you, you should be aware that it’s demonic in nature, and it will spread throughout the whole household or family – so just get away from them! It may begin as minor criticism, just as it did with the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. But under the auspices of Beelzebub, the demons begin to ramp it up until, eventually, they will want to either kill you or have you killed. The members of the household will have no idea what they are doing until they succeed in their quest. And so it was with Jesus. He knew the Jewish leaders were not responsible for what they were doing, and Jesus, "Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Once someone succumbs to the influence of Satan and his demons – and by their fruits you will know them, they eventually have no restraint from committing the vilest of outrages. We’ve seen plenty of this with serial killers, many of whom admit that voices in the heads drove them on.

As an interesting aside to all this, God specifically mentions the mightiest power on earth today succumbing to the influence of Baal (Satan) and dying. Hos 13:1 "When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died." With a Muslim President in power in the United States, you’re already seeing this Baal worship taking shape as he begins to side jointly with God’s enemies and your enemies.

And to continue where we left off in Matt 10:26 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Spirit). Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul (Spirit) and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ⁿ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ³² "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. It’s very clear that Christians must stand firm and true to their convictions and not deny Jesus Christ, even under extremely stressful and dangerous conditions. And just remember, if you truly have God’s Holy Spirit, then God will give you the words to speak in your defense. And don’t expect to have peace in the terrible times ahead. The testing zone will be the crucible of war, and this is where the Church and the House of Israel will be refined. All Christians must be refined like silver and all impurities removed. V34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn "`a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- ³⁶ a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'" So you’ve been told in advance. Furthermore, Jesus was quoting from Micah 7:6, so this shows us that the Prophet Micah was speaking of the same end-time troubles. We won’t go into the Book of Micah now, except to quote this: Micah 7:4-8 "The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion. ⁵ Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. ⁶ For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies are the members of his own household. ⁷ But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. ⁸ Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light." God has appointed watchmen to watch over you. The watchmen are God’s prophets. This is confirmed in Hos 9:8 "The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God." The hostility comes particularly from those in the household of God who have set themselves up as prophets to deceive God’s people. The message here is, don’t listen to them because they will destroy you. These false prophets don’t have God’s Holy Spirit, they don’t know what they are talking about, and they are certainly not the watchman over Ephraim! The watchman is a prophet! And like God, he is watching what is happening in Ephraim. The reason being that Ephraim is about to betray God’s faithful people – the Jews in the Holy Land! In the day that Ephraim does this, they will be shattered as a nation! And on this, you can bet your life!

And just to add a little information about the establishment of the House of David, it was the Levite Prophet Samuel that established the House of David when he anointed David King of Israel – at God’s instructions. Similarly, it will be a Levite Prophet who will prepare the way for the Son of David – the True Messenger (Mal 3:1). This Mighty Being will suddenly appear at His Temple (same verse). This is just one of the connections between the Levite Brotherhood and the House of David. The Levite Brotherhood is also called the Sons of Jerusalem, because they have been taught by God. All Jerusalem’s sons are taught by God Himself.

And now back to the study. Once again David uses his own example to prophesy of future events. You’ll see from V7 onwards, David speaks of the Mighty LORD arising to shake the earth and to deliver justice. These are the same words used by other Prophets of God, which we will soon see. In this chapter, David is recounting his experience with Saul, who was determined to prevent the House of David from being established. Today, we can observe Saul’s modern-day counterpart in the White House doing the same thing.

In the days of Samuel, the people demanded a king, because they no longer wanted God to rule over them. Samuel warned them of what to expect if they rejected God as their Leader. This is part of what Samuel had to say: 1Sam 9:18 "When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." And so God instructed Samuel to anoint Saul as king over Israel. The wheel has turned full circle today, and the people will cry out for relief from the king or ruler they have chosen – but God won’t listen!

Psa 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength. David lived his entire life in total obedience to God. He loved God more than his own life. Sure David made a few mistakes, but always he deeply repented of his sins. From time to time, we see self-righteous miscreants finding fault with David. Such people need to examine themselves very closely to see if they meet the standards of David. They’ll find they don’t! There are very few people who have ever lived that met the standards of David, and this is why God loves David so very deeply.

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Speaking of this horn of salvation, we find a very distinct prophecy about this in the Book of Luke. This horn of salvation begins with the one appointed to prepare the way for the Son of David – Jesus. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied concerning his son John: Luke 1:62-80 "Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³ He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵ The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him. ⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ⁶⁸ "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. ⁶⁹ He has raised up a HORN OF SALVATION for us in the HOUSE OF HIS SERVANT DAVID ⁷⁰ (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), ⁷¹ salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-- ⁷² to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, ⁷³ the oath he swore to our father Abraham: ⁷⁴ to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. ⁷⁶ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, ⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, ⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven ⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." ⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel." So this is yet another connection between the Levite Prophet and the House of David, and how the horn of salvation is launched against the enemies who hate us and to rescue from the hands of the enemy. John was killed before he fulfilled all this prophecy, so it remains for another to arise to prepare the way for the True Messenger – Jesus Christ. And just remember, Jesus Christ also died before He fulfilled everything that is written about Him. As the reader will see in this very Psalm, Jesus will fulfill many things that are written about Him, and in our day!

Psa 18:3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The special ‘horn of salvation’ that God has raised up will rescue the House of David from the hands of their enemies.

Psa 18:4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. These torrents will come like a flood, but David is not talking about water, but war.

Psa 18:5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. As we’ve said all along, there are two masterminds of death and destruction that will gain immense influence in these last days, and these are described by name, Death and the Grave or Hades (Rev 6:7-8). These are very powerful spirit rulers of the heavenly realm. These evil creatures will eventually come and surround the Holy City.

Psa 18:6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple (the heavenly Temple, where Jesus serves as the Father’s High Priest) he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

Psa 18:7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Habakkuk said this: Hab 3:6 "He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal." Samuel wrote the same as Habakkuk and David, almost verbatim: 2Sam 22:4-11 "I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. ⁵ "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. ⁶ The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. ^:7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. ⁸ "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry. ⁹ Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. ¹⁰ He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. ¹¹ He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind."

John the Baptist spoke of this event: Isa 40:3-5 "A voice of one calling:

"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. ⁴ Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. ⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (See Matt 3:1-3 where John begins his ministry).

Psa 18:8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. See Samuel’s words above for this verbatim comment.

Psa 18:9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. Same comment as above.

Psa 18:10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. Habakkuk puts it slightly different to David and Samuel: Hab 3:8 "Were you angry with the rivers, O LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode with your horses and your victorious chariots?" God’s ships or ‘chariots’ fly and cherubim pilot them. They swoop out of the sky parting the clouds as they do so. These combat craft cannot be challenged by anything on the earth today – and none would dare to even try! The weapons on these craft are city-destroyers. Who could stand against them? Sure, God has been silent for a long time, but this is all about to change. And you will see it with your own eyes.

Psa 18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him-- the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Psa 18:12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. This will be quite a spectacle to behold! I imagine the sissy concept today of ‘salvation’ is going to abruptly change when people learn its true meaning.

Psa 18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

The ‘arrows’ that God shoots are like bolts of lightning and they rout the enemy. Habakkuk confirms what David has to say in Hab 3:11 "Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. ¹² In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations." Both saw this in vision and described it much the same. This is what David wrote:

Psa 18:14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them. God has plenty of enemies as we’ve been saying all along. And once Christianity has divested of the ‘holier-than-thou’ mentality, perhaps they’ll begin to agree. If Christianity had believed God then they would have been able to identify the enemy. Perhaps if they spent less time worrying about the environment and all the looney theories that go with it, they might have understood the futility of it all. Their ‘pristine’ environment is about to pass away – and in a spectacular fashion! Mountains will crumble, rivers will writhe as they’re displaced, and even the seas will have their depths exposed.

Psa 18:15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. It should be obvious now that David was prophesying of the distant future when he wrote these things. They certainly didn’t happen in his day. David was, in fact, prophesying about the House of David in the future and the setting up of the Kingdom of God – a time when all God’s people will be rescued from the hands of their enemies.

Psa 18:16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. That is, the flood of war.

Psa 18:17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. This is speaking of a great army that will confront the newly established House of David and the Kingdom of God.

Psa 18:18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

Psa 18:19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Once the Muslim hordes are driven far from the boundary of the Kingdom of God, it will be a very spacious place with plenty of room, at least in the early stages, for returning exiles and expatriates from the nations of Israel.

Psa 18:20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

Psa 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. Keeping the ways of the LORD requires more than mere lip-service. It requires obedience to God’s Law.

Psa 18:22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. And now you know why God loved David so much. David loved God’s Law and he even pondered it day and night.

Psa 18:23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. Sin is living apart from God’s Law, because sin is lawlessness (1John 3:4).

Psa 18:24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. You’ll notice that David mentions cleanness of his hands twice in these few verses, and this is in relation to obedience to God’s Law. Anyone who doesn’t obey God’s Law doesn’t have cleanness of hands!

Psa 18:25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

Psa 18:26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. So here you have it. To the faithful, God is faithful, and the blameless see God as being blameless – always! Whatever God does is just and right in their eyes. This contrasts sharply with those who like to find fault with God when He doesn’t act according to their expectations. The simple truth is, such people never knew God!

Psa 18:27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. Self-righteous arrogance is the quickest way to earn God’s displeasure. Church leaders everywhere – take note! God doesn’t favour the blind leading the blind, and without God’s Holy Spirit, it’s impossible to please Him.

Psa 18:28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. This lamp is spoken of in 2Chron 21:7 "Nevertheless, because of the covenant the LORD had made with David, the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever." David’s lamp continues to burn today in accordance with God’s promise to David. Over a thousand years later, after David wrote this, the Son of David was born. And still the lamp continues to burn among David’s descendants. There is yet another destined to arise, just like Zerubbabel – a prince of Judah and a descendant of David. This son of David will return after a brief stay in captivity.

Psa 18:29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. You might recall how David described the armies of Israel as the armies of the living God. 1Sam 17:26 "David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Well there will be another army of the Living God and these are described in the Scriptures several times. As for scaling walls (mentioned by David in this verse), the Prophet Joel speaks of this, and more, when he describes God’s Army (Joel 2:11). Before this army the nations tremble, and the Lord Christ will be at the head of this army (same V11). Joel 2:1-11 "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand-- ² a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. ³ Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste-- nothing escapes them. ⁴ They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. ⁵ With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. ⁶ At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. ⁷ They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course." This is what David referred to when he wrote, "with my God I can scale a wall", because this army is led by God Himself. V8 They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. ⁹ They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows." Didn’t Jesus say He would come like a thief in the night? (1Thess 5:2). V10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. ¹¹ The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?" The Day of the LORD is a day of vengeance when God will repay all nations what they deserve. The Book of Malachi confirms it will be both great and dreadful: Mal 4:5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes." As always, God sends His prophet to warn before these things are fulfilled. Otherwise no-one would know anything about what is to happen.

Psa 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Yes, it’s true! God’s way is perfect because He gave us perfect Laws. Is the Word of the LORD flawless? It certainly is to those who understand it. It’s those who don’t understand it that find fault with it. And some of them even think they know better than God! Such people are destined to learn the hard way.

Psa 18:31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? Here we see that the LORD and the Rock are the same God. The Rock is the God of the Old Testament, and this Rock is Christ (1Cor 10:4).

Psa 18:32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. The LORD Christ was always with the House of David to strengthen and arm him for battle. And David fought many battles as the army of the Living God.

Psa 18:33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.

Psa 18:34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. David gives God credit for training his hands for battle. There are few people on earth who were ever the equal of David as a warrior. In these last days, the House of David will be like God. This is what Zechariah recorded about this: Zech 12:8-9 "On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. ⁹ On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem."

Psa 18:35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. God gives His ‘Shield of Victory’ to the House of David and makes them invincible. Who can stand against God? And who can stand against the House of David when God empowers His army? At that time the House of David will be like God.

Psa 18:36 You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.

Psa 18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. This is the right way to make war! You don’t turn back at the gate – and this seems to be the way that the House of Israel, and particularly Ephraim, makes war today. When the enemy picks a fight, the armies of the Living God pursue and overtake them and utterly destroy them – taking no prisoners! Why would anyone want to allow them to regroup and attack again? You’ll soon find out that this is not God’s way of fighting a battle. With God, it’s total conquest!

Psa 18:38 I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. Thankfully, there’ll be some sanity in that day that is totally absent today. The enemy is there to be killed because God doesn’t want them there. It’s God’s Land, and the sooner they realize this the sooner they can hope for relief. It should be clear to all rational minds who it was that started the war in the first place. It was Islam! As all Bible students should know, the Bible makes it clear that Islam has no rights to anything, and presently they are illegally on God’s Land! As far as illegality is concerned, God makes the Laws and He alone decides who is illegal and who is not. It seems that only the servants of Almighty God concur with Him on this point. All the cry-babies and the appeasers can’t seem to grasp this!

Psa 18:39 You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. Well this might help if they’ve discarded their weapons and they don’t try the ‘human shield’ tactic. The ‘human shield’ stunt will not work with the Armies of the Living God. Whoever stands with the enemy dies with the enemy.

Psa 18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. It’s God Himself that makes the enemy turn and run because they have nothing to combat the weapons of God. As David said, "You armed me with strength for battle". Even though Islam is evil, they’re not altogether stupid. They’ll quickly forget all about martyrdom and the 72 virgins they think are waiting for them and hightail it out of there.

Psa 18:41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them-- to the LORD, but he did not answer. Who’s going to save them? The Almighty God? He won’t even answer them. Let them call on their god Allah and see if he answers. Satan won’t answer them, because in the Day of the LORD, he’ll be hiding away knowing he faces imminent arrest and a prison term of a thousand years.

Psa 18:42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.

Psa 18:43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me. In days of old, David knew his people, but here he is talking about subjects he never knew. The 12 Tribes of Israel will be the premier nation of the entire earth, and the foreign nations must bring tribute to Jerusalem, the City where David rules over the Tribes of Israel. In short, the nations of the world will have to deal with King David and be subject to him.

Psa 18:44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me. Foreigners will certainly cringe before David. As king over the 12 Tribes of Israel forever, any reticence by the nations of the earth to fulfill all their obligations will result in them being beaten down with a rod of iron. Just remember, there will be no political correctness in that day. The Sons of God will be calling all the shots and the foreigners will be quick to realize this – or suffer the consequences.

Psa 18:45 They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. After they’ve been beaten down a few times, they’ll quickly lose heart all right!

Psa 18:46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! These nations of foreigners may not like it initially, but the God of Israel was right all along. Now they either take their beating or they acknowledge the Rock – the Creator God.

Psa 18:47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,

Psa 18:48 who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. The tables will certainly be turned in that day. These silly people should have acknowledged the awesome power of God. God has a way of ramping up disaster when it’s least expected, and God doesn’t operate under Queensbury rules. The punishment must befit the crime.

Psa 18:49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. And the nations had better listen! The Creator God is not in the habit of sending calling cards. Retribution will be swift for anyone who doesn’t listen to the House of David.

Psa 18:50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. The truth is that David has descendants on earth today. These could be referred to as either sons or princes of David, and they all come from the line of Judah, though not all of Judah is of the line of David. The line of David is further confirmed here: Jer 33:19 "The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: ²⁰ "This is what the LORD says: `If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, ²¹ then my covenant with David my servant--and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me--can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. ²² I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.'" As we all know, day and night continue to come at the appointed time and so God’s covenant with David and the Levites still continues.

Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Speaking about the descendants of David and the Levites being likened to the stars of the sky for number, we find a reference to the heavens declaring the Glory of God and the work of His hands – meaning His creation, but also His servants who are formed like clay from His hands. God has created His servants for a specific purpose.

Psa 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. The heavens and the stars don’t pour forth speech! Apart from the occasional psychotic, no one hears any speech from the heavens and the stars certainly don’t display knowledge. It’s God’s servants that pour forth speech and impart knowledge specific to God’s instruction.

It’s worth noting, however, that the Prophet Joseph had a dream about his father Jacob and mother Rachel being the sun and the moon, and the 12 sons, the stars (planets). This dream is described in Gen 37:9-11. It’s certainly no coincidence that these ‘stars’ pour forth speech night after night, and display knowledge. You’ve got to admit that the 12 Tribes of Israel led the world in knowledge and everything of value, every invention, every accomplishment, has exceeded all the nations of the earth by an order of magnitudes. No other nation even came close to the accomplishments of the 12 Tribes of Israel. All the nations of the earth have been primitive by their standards. The wealth of the Tribes of Israel has been a natural draw-card for all the peoples of the earth who want to live there. In recent years, the flood of migration of peoples, other than the Tribes of Israel, has resulted in a multi-cultural society, which is touted as desirable. Well, it’s not desirable to God, who never permitted human cultures to be intermingled with His Way. God has nothing against aliens and foreigners who worship Him and live by His Laws. It’s all the others that draw God’s wrath!

Psa 19:3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Well this virtually covers the whole earth.

The good news will be preached in all the earth, and then the end will come. This end is when Jesus hands the Kingdom over to the Father: 1Cor 15:24-26 "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death." So Jesus will be reigning long before the end comes. This is not quite what false Christianity believes. They seem to believe that the end comes when Jesus Christ returns and whisks them off to heaven and then destroys the whole world. Of course, their religious theories have no support in the Bible! This is why their voices are not the ones that go out into all the world to impart knowledge. It’s the voices of God’s true servants that does this:

Psa 19:4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

Psa 19:5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. I know it’s offensive to some to think of the Mighty LORD as the Sun, but the Truth is that He is referred to as the Sun of Righteousness in Mal 4:2. We’ve already read from an earlier Psalm which says this: Psa 4:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." In the Book of Luke we find this: Luke 1:78-79 "because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven ⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." The Apostle Peter also confirms this: 2Pet 1:19 "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." Now back to Psalm 19:4, where it speaks of the Sun coming forth from its pavilion. This Sun is like a Bridegroom and like a champion rejoicing to run His course. It should be obvious to all that this is a parable – a story with a hidden meaning. We’ll find that David often speaks in parables, and as it happens, so did his Famous Son – the Son of David, Jesus Christ.

Psa 19:6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. We’ll certainly learn a lot about this heat when the Mighty One, the Champion, runs His course.

Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The simple-minded can become wise through God’s Law and Statutes if they study them and obey them. God’s Law imparts knowledge to those who comply, and it’s by these Laws and Statutes that everyone will be judged. The simple-minded like to proclaim a doctrine of nothingness – of meaningless nonsense, insisting they have no need of God’s Law. So they should expect nothing if they don’t obey God and hold to His Law and Statutes. And this is major problem today!

Psa 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The precepts of men lead to destruction. The Precepts of God lead to life and well-being. Men love to develop precepts that seem right, and which don’t require obedience to God. As a result they see and understand nothing.

Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. Anyone who doesn’t fear the LORD can be assured that they will! No-one teaches God anything – God teaches us! My advice is to give up on the self-delusion and start believing God. Be assured if you don’t fear the awesome power of God now, then the time will come when you will!

Psa 19:10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. The Laws, precepts, Commands and ordinances of God are precious and perfect, and anyone who disagrees falls into the category of being God’s enemy.

Psa 19:11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. By this means, God warns even His servants, who stand in awe of Him and greatly fears Him. We’ll see this observation later: Psa 111:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." If anyone has no healthy fear of God, then they have no Godly wisdom, because this fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. If anyone should imagine they can say and do as they please in relation to God, then they should expect severe retribution. And the word ‘severe’ cannot be understated! Those who don’t want to fear God now will have plenty to fear in days to come. Their worst fears will be realized.

Psa 19:12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. It seems that everyone feels qualified to point out God’s ‘errors’, yet they can’t seem to discern their own errors. In fact, all of Christianity seems to believe that the Scripture used by Jesus and the Apostles is irrelevant because it doesn’t meet their standards. As a result, they’re literally drowning in sins against God. Hidden faults? They are certainly not hidden from God. From time to time all sin, but the righteous man looks into the mirror of God’s Law and strives to correct his faults. On the other hand, the disobedient don’t see their own faults and sins, because they believe that God is wrong. In the minds of the wicked, God should have never imposed His Laws on them. They want to be free to do as they please. Whatever they find so objectionable about ‘You shall not steal’ or ‘You shall not commit adultery’ or ‘You shall not murder’, is a mystery! But it does tell us something of the state of their minds. Apparently they want to be free to do these things if the opportunity arises.

Psa 19:13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. Sin is the transgression of God’s Law (1John 3:4). It’s lawlessness!

Psa 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Because of the artful deception of most people today, their only concern is to appear pleasing to others – not to their Rock and Redeemer. They have no conscience at all towards God.

Jesus Christ came only to the ‘lost sheep of Israel’ but He also built His Church from the citizens of Judah. And just to offset some of the madness that prevails today about who the Jews were, some of the earlier converts were Jews from foreign lands, who spoke in other languages. Acts 2:5-12 "Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"