On the way home today, my son asked me a question about the government, so I took the opportunity to explain government to him. He already knows that God is Trinity, so I started there.

Just as God is Three-in-One, He has given us three forms of government: the family, the church, and the state. God has delegated authority to fathers to lead their families, and He has given the responsibility to families to teach their children, train and discipline their children, and provide for their children. God has delegated authority to the elders to lead their churches, and He has given the responsibility to churches to administer the sacraments of baptism and communion and to care for those without families, i.e. widows and orphans. God has delegated authority to the state to administer justice and provide for the common defense.

He then asked me, "Dad, what would happen if someone bad came into the state and tried to take the power from the families and churches?"

I almost laughed, "Son, that's exactly what has been happening. I don't know if they are intentionally bad, but that is what they have been doing. The state now runs public schools, teaching the children. They hand out welfare to care for the widows and orphans. And they try to tell churches what they can and cannot preach."

"That's really bad," he said. The other day we talked about the Ten Commandments, and that the reason God told the people they should obey the Ten Commandments was that He was the Lord and had delivered them from Egypt. "If the state were to 'save' us by taking care of us, we should obey the state. That means the state is trying to be God."

Then I tested his understanding, "Son, what would you think if someone were to run for president and say that the state should make public schools allow prayer and Bible-reading. That public schools should teach creation as well as evolution?"

"That's not any better," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because God told the parents, not the state, to teach the children. And churches don't need the state to tell them what to do. God will tell them what to do. The state should mind their own business."

"Yeah, son," I said. "You get it."

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

Matthew 2:16-18

Herod knew he had been tricked by the wise men. These men had proven at every step how truly wise they were: When they saw His star, they did not remain in their comfortable homes, but they made the long and dangerous journey to Jerusalem to worship Him. The chief priests and scribes could tell them the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea, but they themselves had remained in Jerusalem. A chief priest or scribe should not have been found in Jerusalem. They should have already led the people to Bethlehem to worship, but only these wise men made the journey. They rejoiced with exceedingly great joy to see His star. They fell down and worshiped the infant Ruler. They presented gifts to Him. Herod had told them to bring back word to him. But they were divinely warned in a dream to not return to Herod. The wise men had to choose whether to follow the words of man or the words of God. The Bible contrasts it as what is right in our own eyes or what is right in the eyes of the LORD. Today we call it Humanism or Theism. The wise men chose to follow the words of God.

The Child presented a great inconvenience to Herod: the Child might escape him, the Child might usurp his throne and be king in his place. So Herod sent forth his soldiers. This savage tyrant slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under. He followed in the steps of Pharaoh, and interesting that it was to Egypt the Christ was sent for safety.

And so today, in the name of convenience, the innocents are still slain by tyranny.

It is estimated that the population of Bethlehem at the time of Christ's birth was just under 3,000. We can estimate that approximately 220 infants were slain by Herod.

Approximately 6 million Jews were slain by the Nazis during World War II.

Since 1973, over 19 million black American children have been slain by abortion. That's genocide. In a letter to Clarence Gamble on October 19, 1939, Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, said, "We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members." This letter was in regard to the Negro Project of the Birth Control Federation of America. In the proposal of this project, W.E.B. DuBois, founder of the NAACP, wrote, "The mass of ignorant Negroes still breed carelessly and disastrously, so that the increase among Negroes, even more than the increase among whites, is from that portion of the population least intelligent and fit, and least able to rear their children properly."

But verse 19 has a very important message for Barbara Boxer, Planned Parenthood, Rudy Giuliani and the other Democratic candidates: "Now when Herod was dead..."

You see, as predicted, Christ is triumphant.

"...Mike Huckabee recently said he could support any of the other Republican Presidential contenders (including Rudy Giuliani), except Ron Paul. That means, Mike Huckabee would rather support a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-gun control liberal such as Giuliani than support the pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-Second Amendment candidacy of Ron Paul. Why is that?"

Chuck Baldwin
December 18, 2007
NewsWithViews.com

Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, "Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above."
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!"
Then he said, "Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings."

King Ahaz did not believe the prophecy of verses 4-9. Rather than hope in God, he hoped in the king of Assyria, but feared the king of Assyria would not come to his aid. Yet God commanded him to ask for a sign to confirm the words of the prophet.

Ahaz refused! He tried to sound pious in his refusal, but clearly he did not believe God could do it. This wicked king even borrowed words from Deuteronomy 6:16, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah." Like many today, he knew enough to sound pious, but did not believe.

But the plan of God is not limited by the will of man. God gave Ahaz a sign in spite of his refusal. God intervened to put the people's confidence in Him alone. God would do what God and God alone could do: a virgin would bear a son and both kings would forsake the land before the child could discern good and evil.

Scholars have debated over the identity of this virgin for centuries. But the plain interpretation is that some virgin, or someone who was a virgin at the time of the prophecy, did in fact bear a son. The child's birth signified that God was indeed with them to protect them, and so his mother could have appropriately named him Immanuel. Within about three years, the kings would forsake the land. Only God could do this and only God could know it would happen.

But the Holy Spirit so inspired Isaiah, that within this sign was a promise for the future -- the birth of Christ. He would more fully display God's protection and God's deliverance. Christ would literally be born of a virgin. He is Immanuel, not because He signified God's presence with Israel, but because He is God present with us.

Matthew tells us in his gospel, "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'" (1:22, 23)

This prophecy began in chapter 34, and the overall theme is that God would destroy the enemies of His people. Isn't it interesting that the first time the Gospel appears, it is part of a curse? Genesis 3:15, also known as the Protoevangelium or "First Gospel", was not spoken to Eve, but to Satan. God tells Satan the "good news" that He will "bruise his head." The destruction of the wicked precedes the salvation of the righteous. Let's look at what follows the destruction.


We begin in a place of desolation, the wilderness and the wasteland. A world without Christ is truly a desert. There are no life-giving springs or streams, no fruit. A heathen world is a hard place to survive. But here, the whole world will be made glad, a miraculous change.


A desert rejoice? Yes, this world will someday rejoice to see the enemies of God destroyed under the feet of the reigning Christ. Beauty -- as the rose -- will blossom in this desolate place.


The phrase in Hebrew is "blossoming it shall blossom," a similar expression to the one in Genesis 2:17 "dying thou shalt die." The desert shall blossom in abundance. You do not expect roses to blossom in a desert. You also do not expect to enter a desert and hear the sounds of rejoicing. These blessings are so great as to cause that effect.

Isaiah 10:34 tells us that the glory of Lebanon was its forests of cedar. Carmel was beautiful and Sharon fertile. So, imagine a glorious forest suddenly appearing in the desert. A desert made beautiful and fertile. That is the greatness of the reign of Christ. He makes the desolate to be majestic, beautiful, and fruitful.


What should we do with such a beautiful vision? Strengthen the weak and the feeble! Go back to the first part of this prophecy in chapter 34 and assure them that God certainly will destroy his enemies. God will protect them. God has promised blessing and God is always true to His word. Such assurance should remove our enfeebling fear and strengthen us.


Here is further instruction to strengthen them. We should not fail to use all the promises of God to drive away fear and strengthen our brothers and sisters. Believers should not tremble before their enemies but claim these sweet promises to stand firm in their faith. God has shown us in chapter 34 how He will come with vengeance. In this age, we have an even fuller understanding and assurance of our final, complete deliverance. "The Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25).


This so clearly refers to the ministry of Christ that it seems unnecessary to comment. But it is good to think on the beauties of our Lord and be overwhelmed by His grace to us.

When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"
And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."
Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened.
Matthew 9:27-29

The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Matthew 11:5

And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"
Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"
So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
Matthew 20:30-34

Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."
Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
Mark 7:32-35, 37

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Mark 8:22-25

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
Mark 9:25-27

As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you."
And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."
Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
Mark 10:46-52

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
Luke 4:18, 19

And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
Luke 7:21

And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.
Acts 3:2-8

And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked.
Acts 14:8-10

You have already seen above some instances of the dumb speaking. Perhaps you have experienced it firsthand or you've only seen in the movies how men walk through a desert. They do not merrily trot along. They do not enjoy lively conversation. The heat wearies them. Sand and pebbles grind at their feet until they walk as though crippled. Their throats are parched and they become mute. Consider, if you will, how you would feel if you with parched throat were stumbling through the desert when a spring of cool water suddenly burst forth before you. That joy you would feel is what these words express. Though you had struggled as a cripple through the desert, you would leap for the life-giving streams. Nothing in this world can satisfy like the glory of Christ. Islam does not give this joy. Humanism does not give this joy. Hinduism does not give this joy. To those dead in their trespasses, He gives life. To those blinded by Satan, he gives sight. To the weak, He gives strength. To the foolish, He gives wisdom. To those who believe in Him, He gives eternity in the presence of God our Exceeding Joy.


Islam and Humanism and Hinduism and all the other -isms may look like a pool. They may seem to be an oasis. But they are just a mirage in the parched ground. The joy they promise is always out of reach until it vanishes all together. Could you ever reach the mirage and drink of its waters, you would only drink sand. But Christ is the real pool! He is no illusion, no mirage. Hope in Christ is no false hope. He satisfies the thirsty - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance." (Isaiah 55:1, 2) The habitation of jackals is a harsh place, fit only for scavengers. But there will be reeds and rushes, which only grow by abundant water. The most savage places on earth shall be transformed by the glorious gospel of Christ! Perhaps today, Isaiah may have said, "Las Vegas shall be the buckle of the Bible Belt." Those "deepest, darkest" places will shine as strongholds for Christ. Just consider the amazing changes we have seen in the places around the world where the Gospel has taken root.


The blessings of Christ's reign are free and open to all. Access is easy, straight up the highway -- a triumphal turnpike with no obstructions, no valleys, no hindrance at all. It is the Highway of Holiness because no unclean shall pass over it. All who come into the Kingdom of God must be holy. Only those who come into the kingdom to worship the King. I hear some people talk about heaven and they talk about who they will see there and what they will do there. They speak of their families and their friends. They go on and on with no mention of God, as if it could be heaven without Him. If they want eternity without Him, they will get eternity without Him. But heaven is for those who come to worship God. But those who do come to the kingdom to see God, they do not walk alone. They come up the highway with God. He is with them to direct them - they cannot get lost. He is with them to protect them - they cannot be lost. This highway is so designed that even a fool can cross it. God's plan of salvation is so simple that even the fools will be saved through it. The world often calls the redeemed fools, but we are fools for glory!


As Christian discovered in Pilgrim's Progress, once on the Highway there was no cause for alarm. Though there may be lions and ravenous beasts roaring beside the highway, they could not go up on it. Apollyon himself could not drag Christian from the Highway. We are redeemed by the blood of the atonement. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) Amids the trials and tribulations of this world, God has erected this Highway for His redeemed. He goes with them, directing and protecting, bringing them safely into His Kingdom and will lose none of them.


All the redeemed, all the ransomed, shall be saved. "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." (Romans 8:29, 30). It is an unbroken chain from predestination to glorification. "It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:34-39) Joy to be forgiven. Joy to live eternal.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Presidential Caucus Announces Results From First-Ever National Caucus

-- Barack Obama Wins Democrat Caucuses; Ron Paul Dominates Both GOP And "Open" Caucuses --

Washington, DC (December 12, 2007) -- On December 7, 2007 in cities and small towns across the country, Democrat, Republican and "Open" Caucus groups formed independently online and Caucused face-to-face on National Caucus Day. The first-ever National Presidential Caucus is now history and the results are in.

Barack Obama wins over Democrat voters generating 40% of Democrat Caucus voter preferences. Obama was followed by a three-way tie for second, with John Edwards, Bill Richardson and "Undecided" each generating 20% of Democratic Caucus preferences.

On the Republican side, Ron Paul obliterated the field for the GOP generating the preference of 50% of GOP Caucuses. Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson follow, generating 33.3% and 16.6% of Republican Caucus preferences, respectively.

Among votes in Open Caucuses, Ron Paul wins with 62.5% of Open Caucus votes, followed by Barack Obama (18.75%), Fred Thompson (12.5%), and Hilary Clinton (6.25%).

Results were tallied from 19 independently formed Caucus groups (Republican, Democrat, and Open) that met on Friday, December 7th, 2007 in Dallas, TX (2D); Sarcoxie, MO (O); Boise, ID (R); Needham, MA (D); Carthage, MO (O); Manhattan, KS (D & R); Pineville, MO (O); Richmond, MO (O); Costa Mesa, CA (O); Springfield MO (R); Winston-Salem, NC (O); Overland Park, KS (R); New York City, NY (O); and Joplin, MO (R), Warrensburg, MO (R), Roselle Park, NK (D), and Philadelphia, PA (O).

Some caucuses used multiple voting rounds with minimum vote thresholds to give citizens a chance to change their minds and switch candidate preferences, but all meetings were built on a first round of issue discussion and deliberation. Multiple rounds of voting were not prohibited and each group was encouraged to create the most engaging caucus format possible. However, threshold voting eliminates all but the top vote-getters. While that may have been the intention for some groups, the NPC feels obligated to recognize the efforts and opinions of all caucus goers.

Issue results reflected opposition to Iraq involvement, foreign intervention in general, and health care, immigration and erosion of civil liberties rounding out the top concerns of all caucusers.

Self-organized and independent, most gatherings were small, informal discussion sessions, while others attracted hundreds of participants including party officials and campaign operatives in a raucous bid for supporters. The NPC feels that the results at each caucus is of greatest importance and relevance to those in that caucus room and to that local community where those ideas were exchanged, relationships were created, passions were shared. We believe this is social capital formation at its finest.

The NPC was previewed by major media from CBS News, The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others. The actual Caucuses are receiving a fair amount of local attention from the mainstream media, including front page newspaper coverage in Greensboro, NC and TV coverage by WNBC news in NYC, the largest NBC affiliate in the nation.

But even better, people reported on their own caucus events. Using numerical reports, commentary, pictures & video, and through a growing number of blogs, each caucus tells its own story. Some reports from those who participated, include Kansas City: "Wow, what a great evening it was in Kansas City!"; New Jersey: "It was a fun night with close to 200 people participating in this exercise."; Chicago: "It was a very informative experience."; Boise, Idaho: "It was an extremely fun event..." Video footage is being compiled on the official National Presidential Caucus channel on YouTube. Visit http://www.youtube.com/NationalCaucus to view.

"The NPC wants to applaud everyone who took the time and made an effort to engage their neighbors in this evening of passionate civic discourse, said Don Means, NPC's primary organizer. "You have just ushered in a new era of participatory democracy in America. Your country should be proud of you!"

National Presidential Caucus is the product of a consortium of partisan, bi-partisan and non-partisan interests who seek to demonstrate how local, self-organized, web-enabled face-to-face gatherings is the new basis for participatory democracy. To view National Caucus endorsers visit: http://www.nationalcaucus.com/endorsements . For more information about the National Presidential Caucus vision visit: http://www.nationalcaucus.com/about

CONTACT:

Myles Weissleder
National Presidential Caucus
myles@nationalcaucus.com
Office: 415-332-3205

# 30 #

This is what it's all about. God, give me the grace to do the same thing!

Gutsy granny ministers to thief

What a beautiful yet often misquoted and misunderstood passage. Is it the lion that lies down with the lamb, or the wolf? Is the Millennium going to be like Dr. Doolittle's magical menagerie? What is this really about?

Well, as you know if you read my blog, I don't find interpretation a question between literal and figurative, as many do. I believe the question is, "Are we Biblical or are we speculative?" I believe this passage tells us very clearly exactly how we are to interpret it.

In the previous chapter, the Assyrian army was depicted as a vast forest which eventually fell. Here we are presented with the stump of another once great kingdom. Jesse was the father of David. Why didn't he just say "the stem of David"? Well, David was a glorious king. Jesse was a humble father. Humility is the strongest element of this image. So, we see that the Lord will be bringing forth a "Rod" from this stem, or root. And this is now a root, because this great tree has been cut so low to the ground by the time this happens. Consider the grandeur of David and Solomon and then consider the humility and poverty of Joseph and Mary. How far the family had fallen!

Yet, from this humble estate the Messiah would come! What a contrast! And look what will happen then! From this stump a branch will rise and flourish. There will be glory again -- glory that exceeds the previous glory!

I love this description of the Spirit of the Lord: the Spirit of Jehovah, of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, of the fear of the Lord - a sevenfold Spirit, as in Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6. Look at the poetic couplets: He has wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He has wisdom and He has the understanding to make judgments on that wisdom. He has counsel to make plans and He has the might to carry them out. He has knowledge, but it is not an amoral knowledge, as He also has the fear of the Lord. And we know the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, so they feed back into themselves. The Spirit is complete!

As the Lord told Samuel, He does not judge according to appearance, but He judges the heart. The Messiah is a just judge. We see in the Gospels that Jesus was known for not respecting persons - He did not show any partiality to rank or office. We also see especially in the case of the woman framed in the act of adultery that He judged to the very heart of the matter. He is everywhere the friend of justice.

He not only came Himself in poverty, but chose His disciples from the poor. In His great sermon, He blessed the poor, and even there judged the blessing specifically to the poor in spirit.

Throughout Scripture, it is evident that the Messiah came to save and to destroy. Here it says that He will strike the earth, by which it clearly means by the parallelism that He will strike the wicked. Notice that He strikes them with the rod of his mouth. His very words are so powerful as to destroy the wicked! Remind you of Revelation 1:16? See also Hebrews 4:12 and Isaiah 49:2.

This righteousness and faithfulness are His belt. In other words, they cling to Him like a garment. He is known for His justice and truth.

Having described the Spirit and character of our Messiah, the prophecy proceeds to describe His reign. This is the part that many find confusing, but it doesn't have to be. This is a poetical description of a golden age, especially the peace and security of His reign.

A lot has been made about these animals. Is this describing a time when literal wolves will live in harmony with literal sheep? Wolves eat lambs. Leopards eat goats. Lions eat cows. We see it on Animal Planet and Discovery all the time.

Notice what the notes in the Geneva Bible from 1599 say: "Men because of their wicked affections are named by the names of beasts, wherein the like affections reign: but Christ by his Spirit shall reform them, and work in them such mutual charity, that they shall be like lambs, favoring and loving one another, and cast off all their cruel affections, Isaiah 65:25."

I think this is the right interpretation and I'll explain more why I think that later. This passage is describing poetically what the Gospel does to the hearts of men. We see men, wickedly violent, pacified by the Gospel. Men who could be described as wolves, or leopards, or lions changed in their hearts so they can dwell peacefully with the meek. They become meek themselves.

Now, some have tried to determine which men are the wolves, which are the leopards, which are the lions, but that is digging too far into the passage and speculating. The message is clear and does not need to be expanded further to be understood. In Christ, the wild is tamed, the venomous are made harmless, and the meek dwell in peaceful security.

Notice that the Prophet does not say if this is the beginning of the Messiah's reign or the end of the Messiah's reign. He has only told us that the Messiah is coming and this is how His reign shall be. So you cannot take this passage apart from that observation. If I told you that King David's reign was glorious, you would not assume I meant one particular part of his reign, but I meant that in general or overall, his reign was glorious. That is how you must understand this passage. This startling and essential change to the nature of men is representative of the whole reign of the Messiah. So, this prophecy began to be fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, it continues to be fulfilled as the Gospel is spread and men are converted, and it will be finally, fully fulfilled when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord" (v. 9).

Because the language is so poetic and because verse 9 ascribes this peace to the knowledge of the Lord filling the earth, I see no reason to expect a literal fulfillment of this passage in the animal kingdom. When has the Gospel ever changed the physical characteristics of a wild animal such that it became a herbivore? Can the Gospel alter teeth and digestive organs? But certainly the Gospel has domesticated the wild tendencies in a man and changed his appetites. The Gospel has changed whole societies. Look at the change in Saul: he was once a venomous adder to the church, but his appetite changed as well as his name, and as Paul he was not only innocuous to the young believers but healthful and edifying. Books have been written on the savage customs of nations that were broken and outlawed by the spread of the Gospel. I'm thinking now of suttee, the suicides once practiced on the funeral pyres of India.

I think verse 9 is key to understanding the whole passage. Verse 9 says, "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." As we saw in chapter 2 last time, the holy mountain is Mount Zion, the seat of the Messiah's reign, the Church. So they, these wild and savage men, shall not hurt nor destroy in all the Church. Why will this be? When will this be? When the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. When the earth understands the doctrines of God, there will be peace. There will be another flood, but not a flood of water, a flood of Gospel. This flood will enter every crevice and recess.

So, look forward to the time here promised. Look forward to the Gospel filling the earth and changing men and bringing peace. But don't just look for it. Work for it.

Note: If you are interested in using this in your family worship, might I also recommend these hymns to complement it.

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
Crown Him with Many Crowns
Jesus Shall Reign
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel