Welcome to the Hackberry House of Chosun, sermonaudio.com. My name is Bob. This is the next in the continuing series of Bible questions and answers. We're in the book of Micah today. Let's start out with chapter 1, verse 10. Take a look at it. Tell it not in gaffe. Weep not at all. Tell it not in gaffe. What does that mean? Do you remember David saying those very same words when he was lamenting over Saul and Jonathan? It's like a funeral dirge. And he said, don't tell it in Gath what's happened here. The idea is that this is such bad news that we have no desire for our enemies. And Gath was a Philistine city, an enemy city. We have no desire for our enemies to know that we've been so awfully defeated. Don't tell it in gaffe. Same feeling here, the judgment of God coming, and it's coming on the people of God, and don't tell the enemies. Don't tell our enemies. Micah, chapter 2, verses 6 and 7. Are you in the book of Micah? Would you please go get a Bible and come with me here? 6 and 7. do not speak out, so they speak out. But if they do not speak out concerning these things, reproaches will not be turned back. It's being said, O House of Jacob, is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to the one walking uprightly. This is a difficult pair of verses, and that's the kind of thing we're looking for as I travel through the scripture. There are many, many difficulties until you get trained in how God speaks, and I'm not there yet, but I'm learning some things. It looks like Micah 2, 6, and 7 is saying that the political leaders of the day are trying to quench The preaching of the truth. Do not speak out. So they speak out. It's a familiar circumstance, isn't it? For God's people to be told, shut up. However, God is not restricted. We will prophesy as we need to. Israel, you got yourself into this mess. It was not God's fault. Deal with it. That's my translation of it all. It's being said, O house of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these his doings? No, no. God's not that way. All right, how about Micah chapter 2 still, and verses 12 and 13. You'll also find this in Micah 4, 1 through 8, some of the things I want to say here. Micah 7, 11 to 20 give you some clues. All of this has to do with this question. But first, let me read the verses. I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob. I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I'll put them together like sheep in the fold, like a flock in the midst of its pasture. They'll be noisy with men. The breaker goes up before them. They break out. pass through the gate and go out by it. And so their king goes on before them and the Lord at their head. What's all that about? Actually, I want you to list all the proofs of Micah's vision of the millennium. These are millennial passages. About 7, 11 to 20 while we're here. Should I read all of that? I don't think I better. I'll try not to read the long passages. But maybe a couple. You will be a day for building your walls. Your boundary will be extended. They'll come to you from Assyria, from Egypt, from Egypt even to the Euphrates. The earth will become desolate because of her inhabitants. Shepherd your people with your scepter and it goes on and on and on. There are clues here. Let's list them. Go back to chapter two, I will gather the remnant of Israel and put them together like sheep of the fold. Has that happened? No. No way. The king will pass before them with the Lord at their head. Is that David? Is that Jesus? That's definitely millennial. It says in the latter days. It's right there. It says the mountain of the Lord's house will be established on the top of the mountains. That's from Isaiah. Who wrote it first, Isaiah or Micah? I don't know. Many nations will come to the mountain of the Lord. Is that happening? No. He will teach the nations his ways. Happening? No. They'll beat their swords into plowshares. Neither shall they learn war anymore. No one shall make them afraid. The Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion. The nations shall see and be ashamed of all of their might. They and the nations shall be afraid of the Lord our God. You'll cast off all our sins into the depths of the sea. All of this happening now? Not at all. Not for Israel. For the most part, not for anyone. But it's coming. These are promises you can take to the bank. You can have hope. That God indeed is going to do these things. Is that your hope? Are you counting on something happening politically today? Are you counting on Mr. Trump to save us, to bring us to new, wonderful? Come on, folks. He's just a man. He's done some good things, said some good things, but as I write today, as I speak today, he's constantly in trouble. He's a man. We don't know what he'll be able to do. Jesus is coming. Get your eyes off of Trump and Putin and all the rest of them and know that Micah gives us many clues for hope. Well, Micah 5.3, would you go there? Let me read it. Micah 5.3, therefore he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has born a child, then the remainder of his brethren will return to the sons of Israel." What woman here? What labor is referenced? What is this about? Revelation 12 seems to be the best place to find an answer for this question. In one verse here and in One chapter of Revelation, there's talk about a person who gives birth, someone giving birth, and then talk about a group of people. Same pattern, this verse, Revelation 12. So Israel gives birth, not only to Messiah, but to a remnant of Jews, the 144,000, the elect, who return to God and then returned to the land and promises given to Israel. He, that's the one prophesied in the prior verse, gave them up for a while, but he calls them back now. Another millennial passage or near that, the birth of a son, well, that's Jesus, but the birth of the people, that's the elect of Israel. Israel gives birth to both of them, so that when you're looking at Revelation 12, that woman there is not Mary, but Israel. It's the only thing that fits in that whole chapter. She seems to be fitting there at the beginning, and she was the avenue that Israel used, but Mary doesn't fit in the rest of the chapter, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a way to do that. Of course, Rome finds a way to do just about anything it wants to. Micah, Chapter 5. verses four to nine. Why is this Assyrian mentioned in an end time prophecy? I meant to comment on that a little while ago. Here's Assyria back in the end time. There's no Assyria now, or is there? Well, I know there are Assyrians. I run into them all the time in the neighborhood in Chicago where I've worked. They're out there, lots of them, and they want their homeland. They don't have it. They want it. Will they get it? It looks like there's going to be an Assyria. When Jesus comes, there is no Assyria now. Consider it about what was I saying in verses four to nine. This one, verse five, will be our peace when the Assyrian invades our land. Verse six, they will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod. He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he attacks our land. Fascinating. Some have believed, and I'm not far from it, that it is the Assyrian emperor who hated Israel that will be raised from the dead, not Antiochus Epiphanes. Now you understand, I believe, and I think I can prove from Revelation 17, that Antichrist lives, he lives already, he's just waiting for the time to be revealed, and that time is not up to him, it's up to God, and God will speak to the angel who's holding him, alright, you can release him. That's what 2 Thessalonians 2 is about, he that restrains will keep on restraining until it's time, you know, then there'll be a miraculous appearance, of Antichrist. He's coming. He's being held back. And some people say it must be the Assyrian, because this chapter is talking about an end-time Assyrian who attacks and that Jesus protects from. Hmm. First, we've got to determine that the passage is end-time here in Micah. It says, he shall feed his flock. He's doing that to his people now. He shall be great to the ends of the earth. We know he is great, the church knows he is great, but the ends of the earth don't know that. No, that's gotta be later. This one shall be peace. That's his definition, yeah, that's his name, Prince of Peace. Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples. The remnant, the remnant, the elect. The 144,000. Looks like end time to me. What do you think? And so this Assyrian and the laying waste of the Assyrian empire, did that not already happen? Did God not already deliver the Jews from this threat? Isn't Assyria considered a friend in the end of time with Egypt? Looks like it. As I said, Some have suggested that this Assyrian connection has to do with Antichrist himself. You can find a book that's called The Assyrian Connection. I think it's got some good points. There's several candidates in the Bible for a resurrected world leader to assert himself as God in the latter days of our history. And this Sennacherib, the Assyrian dictator, killed with a sword by his own family. That's the only One of the ones that are candidates for Antichrist. The only one killed with a sword, as mentioned in Revelation, that this one had a wound by the sword. He's killed by his own family. Is this Assyrian going to visit planet Earth again? Or is Micah jumping back and forth in the text? One moment talking end time, the next speaking of local matters. This one I can't totally answer, but it has an answer. Will you take it from here? Will you study more? About Micah 6, 8. Simple formula. You think it's for all of us in the church too? Micah 6, verse 8. He has told you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Now, it's addressed to man. I still think there's a way that we as Christians should take this simple teaching to heart. It'll help us keep focus. We may have to define the words as we understand them in Christ. Justice, what's that? Doing the right thing in every circumstance. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, His justice. For this we need the filling of the Holy Spirit. Get in the quiet place. Say, I got it automatically. Okay, okay. Don't want to argue with you. Get more. Get it again. Keep asking. You leak, folks. You leak. All of you leak. Get it back in there. Keep being filled with the Holy Spirit. Covers a lot of ground, this justice maybe isn't so simple after all. Mercy, love, it talks about. The greatest thing, Paul says, love. It's sounding more and more like our new covenant. Walking with God. Yeah, the way to get all of the above done, the doing, the loving, walk with God. Walk, Paul says, in the spirit, in the life of Jesus. will be manifested in you. Micah was saying that God's demands are not what we thought. Not called to be great, not called to be rich, not called to be accepted and happy like the world is happy. Those are heavy burdens going after that and not getting it. Jesus' burden is light. Walk with Him. Learn of Him. Soon you'll be doing justly and loving everyone. That's all he wants. That's all he wants. One more quickie, how about it? Micah chapter six, verse nine. The voice of the Lord will call to the city and it is sound wisdom to fear your name. Hear, O tribe, who has appointed its time Did I read it right? Six, nine, yeah. Well, I'm reading from the New American Standard Bible in other translations. It says, hear the rod. Hear the rod. Different translations have it differently, but the idea stands when you're chastised, see what God is trying to say to you. Now, if this word isn't supposed to be rod, forgive me for this. interpretation, but if it is, it's a fascinating look at how our attitude should be. There's a rod come to you that is discipline. Listen to it. Listen to it. God, I'm under the rod here. What are you saying to me? Yeah, you know what he'll tell you? He'll tell you don't do it again if you're smart, whatever you just did. He'll tell you other things too. the Condemner. All right, I think I've spent my wad today. We're going to finish Micah next time in this series. Go on to Nahum, back at work. We're almost done with the Old Covenant. New Covenant's being prepared daily as I speak here. I'm in the book of 1 Peter, moving right through the scriptures. The book will be done, oh, within a few weeks anyway, at the most, Lord willing. And so you'll be able to follow along with me as I'm giving this study out. God bless you today. It's always good to have you with me. Without you, there's no broadcast. There's no recording, right? But you're there. And I thank you that you do write every once in a while, suggesting a topic for study. And that has been great. I ordered a book just recently that one of you suggested. I've got to read it first. That could be coming on soon. I don't know how we'll fit it in with this schedule, but try anyway. Send me a prayer request if you want. Glad to pray for you, with you. Or just say hi. Just say hi. I'm out here. I'm listening. That really encourages me during the day. And check in from time to time to see what's going on here at the Hackberry House of Chosun website of sermonaudio.com. Lord willing, I will talk with you soon. Bye bye.