Trust the Promise-keeper: How to stand firm as the Earth reels

Hallel Fellowship

In this study

1. Lessons for today from how the Holy One intervened in Bible times
2. Highlights of the study
   • Trust the One Who was, is and is to come, not the false promises of the history-shirkers
   • Prophet Joel's message and natural disasters
   • Role of wealth and the Kingdom of God
   • The Day of Blowing Trumpets and its significance
   • Lawlessness and the role of the people of God
   • Importance of quality control and the 10 Commandments
   • The Role of the Creator and the Day of the LORD
   • The Day of Blowing Trumpets and related memorials
   • Role of the Messiah in the restoration of the dwelling place of the Creator among humanity
   • Importance of standing firm in faith

Lessons for today from how the Holy One intervened in Bible times

The key is to study these biblical-historical precedents, discern the principles at work, and then prayerfully apply them to our present-day challenges. As we do so, we can navigate the noise and confusion with the wisdom and perspective that comes from God’s eternal purposes.

1. Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar: These pagan rulers were used by God to accomplish His purposes, even though they did not know Him. This reminds us that God is sovereign over all authorities and can work through unexpected means to fulfill His plans.

Application: When faced with challenging political or social circumstances, we must remember that God is in control. Rather than despairing, we can trust that He is working behind the scenes, even through flawed human leaders, to bring about His ultimate purposes.

2. The Exodus and Exiles: God used dramatic acts of judgment and deliverance to wake up His people and draw them back to Himself. The pattern of rebellion, discipline, and restoration is a recurring theme in Scripture.

Application: When we see societal upheaval, natural disasters, or other calamities, we should not simply view them as random occurrences. Instead, we can discern the hand of God calling His people to repentance and a renewed commitment to His ways.

3. The Maccabean Revolt: The Jewish people fought to reclaim and rededicate the temple after it had been desecrated by foreign powers. This demonstrates the importance of preserving the purity of worship and the centrality of God’s dwelling place.

Application: As we see increasing attacks on biblical truth and the marginalization of the church, we must be willing to stand firm and contend for the faith. We may need to make sacrifices to protect the integrity of our worship and witness.

4. Early believers in Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah: Despite intense persecution, the gospel spread rapidly as believers boldly proclaimed the truth and demonstrated the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.

Application: When faced with hostility or opposition, we can take courage from the example of the early church. By relying on the Spirit’s empowerment and focusing on the eternal kingdom, we can have an impact that transcends our circumstances.

Highlights of the study

Trust the One Who was, is and is to come, not the false promises of the history-shirkers

(0:58 in the recording)

Our God is the “I Am”: Who was, is, and will be, referenced in Exodus the book of Revelation.

There’s growing popularity for movements that advocate looking only forward, ignoring past lessons and traditions as enslaving. Such philosophies advocate for societal “spontaneous generation.”

This is similar to the prevailing paradigms — still with no proof — of biological spontaneous generation and the concept of a singularity in the cosmic level.

Similar to what we know from the laws of the natural world, societal spontaneous generation does not lead to order but to disorder, unless something is designed to undo the damage. That’s where

Prophet Joel’s message and natural disasters

(5:05)

The Prophet Yo’el (Joel 2) predicts a destructive force that serves a purpose, removing what shouldn’t be there and providing a wake-up call to those who can hear it.

This is similar to natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes. They are a wake-up call, revealing people’s true characters. How much more a Heaven-sent wake-up call!

That’s where “the golden rule” (Leviticus 19:18) and “the greatest commandment” (Deuteronomy 6:4ff) to love God with all one’s heart (mind and emotions), soul (life) and strength (resources).

Thus, repentance needs to be “real,” one’s worship transparent, not just going through the motions (Joel 2:13).

Role of wealth and the Kingdom of God

(6:24)

Wealth as a tool for the LORD’s purposes, not a lord to rule over the LORD’s purposes in our lives (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:9, 11, 13).

The prophet says says the LORD uses other nations to correct or wake up the people of God.

The LORD sets rulers up and takes them down, and even those who may not be in the Kingdom themselves (Dan. 2:21; Psa. 75:6-7; Matt. 23:13; Luke 11:52).

This underscores the importance of loving the LORD with all one’s heart, soul, and strength, and loving one’s neighbor as oneself — the greatest and second-greatest commandments.

The Day of Blowing Trumpets and its significance

(11:31)

The Bible explains the functional aspects of blowing trumpets, such as assembly and communication, (Numbers 10:1–11).

The blowing of trumpets is akin to a football quarterback’s calling an “audible” before a play. How much more then do we need to listen for instructions from the Master!

Followers of the Master must be open (humble) and listening for the LORD’s wake-up calls, as we see in the lives of the Bible’s patriarchs and matriarchs.

Leading up to the Day of the LORD (i.e., the return of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus)), the Master warned of an increase of lawlessness (Matthew 24:12). How much more should Spirit-inscribed lawfulness to increase the love of many.

Lawlessness and the role of the people of God

(16:59)

People are becoming more aware of lawlessness, even within the church, causing confusion and turning people away from the it.

That’s leading to the perplexing situation for believers, seeing one leader after another reported for sin and transgression.

This isn’t new. Yeshua criticized the hypocritical practices of certain Pharisees and Sadducees.

So, followers of the Messiah shouldn’t be downplaying Heaven’s instructions, encapsulated in the 10 Commandments, because they are foundational to the gospel and the bedrock for Heaven’s mercy.

Importance of quality control and the 10 Commandments

(18:53)

Quality control and quality assurance are critical for success of a business. Similarly, the Apostle Paul wrote that believers must take every thought captive and bringing it into submission to the law of Messiah (2Cor. 10:5-6).

The 10 Commandments are important standards for guiding decisions. This contrasts with the self-actualization approach of pagan worship.

The Prophet Eliyahu mocked such a transactional relationship approach to worship of so-called deities, demonstrating the different relationship one has with Heaven (1Kings 18).

This is a warning against playing loosely with lawfulness — obedience for obedience’s sake. That can lead to a self-directed approach that does not recognize the full counsel of God.

The Role of the Creator and the Day of the LORD

(28:33)

The truth about the Creator’s being the One Who brings salvation from death and its legacy of destruction and the importance of recognizing the full message of God.

We’ve seen that adherence to the philosophy of spontaneous generation to bring order from chaos is opposed to what we have seen in the real world (biology and technology): quality control and assurance maintain order that the Designer created of chaos.

So we must be humble, listening for the LORD’s voice and being prepared for the Day of the LORD, which will be a wake-up call for the world. As during the 10 plagues divided Israel from Egypt during the original Exodus, how much more will the judgments foretold in the book of Revelation divide those who trust God from those who do not.

The Day of Blowing Trumpets and related memorials

(31:16)

Heaven’s appointments with humanity (Leviticus 23) include a three-fold message in the seventh month of Israel’s calendar: Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing Trumpets aka Rosh Hashanah), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles/Booths).

A Biblical reason for Yom Teruah being called Rosh Hashanah (Head/Beginning of the Year) is the seventh month is the start of two key “reset” points, releases of debts (and those in servitude to them) on the Shemitah (seventh-year sabbatical, sabbath year) and the Yobel (Jubilee) every 50th year.

Forgiving debts was a critical lesson for Israel and her testimony (good news, gospel) to the world about Heaven plans for humanity. Thus Heaven exacted heavy consequences on ancient Israel for ignoring these discharges of debts or, worse, clawing them back (taking debtors back into debt and not leaving the land fallow). That hard-heartedness is cited in Scripture as a key cause for Heaven to bring on the exiles (of the northern kingdom to Assyria and of the southern kingdom to Babylon), to give the land its rest.

After the return from exile and even after the cold political calculus during Israel’s civil war period that saw one faction bring in Rome, Heaven caused Rome to give special dispensation to Israel to worship the Creator of heaven and earth, instead of the general expectation of Roman subjects and citizens to worship join the Emperor cult or commonly accepted pantheons.

Role of the Messiah in the restoration of the dwelling place of the Creator among humanity

(38:19)

Israel had received from Heaven special dispensations under Persian ruler Cyrus and earlier Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar.

Joel 2’s prophecy of the plague of locusts, expanding on the Exodus plague of locusts, is a forerunner to the judgments of the Day of the LORD.

Enduring lessons of the Day of Blowing Trumpets are not just about making noise but remembering the voice of God at Sinai (Exodus 19-21).

We should not shrink back from the voice of the LORD, like the first generation of the Exodus. We should not let the din of voices around us drown out the voice of the LORD, like with our spiritual ancestors who entered the Promised Land full of pagan rites. Rather, we must be open to and trained to recognize the Creator’s voice to be prepared for the Day of the LORD, which will be a wake-up call for the world.

Importance of standing firm in faith

(54:42)

Like the Messiah warned in Revelation 2–3, believers must stand firm in faith, trusting the Creator who made the ancient promise to Israel of dealing with the giants and fortifications in conquering the Promised Land.

Believers will face persecution as the “birth pangs” of the Messianic era and the Day of the LORD. So we must pray for the outpouring of the Spirit to transform the people and the land, as foretold by the Prophet Joel.

We must appeal to the One Who the Adversary has no power over — the Creator of heaven and earth — to break strongholds.

Summary: Tammy