Hezekiah – Part 11
The Deliverance
Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. (Psalm 18:50)
And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth. (2 Chronicles 32: 23)
Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only. (2 Kings 19:19)
The deliverance was complete, Sennacherib had been driven back to Nineveh by the strong hand of God. Man does not see these things — the mysteries of God. God can put a hook in a running steed and turn its head about; therefore, God set the hook in the jaw of Sennacherib, and brought him back to Nineveh where He would face him at the end of a sword. The sons of his loins would hold that sword, but it was the hand of God directing them. He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword. A once mighty king lay idle with the dew of death upon him in the house of his god. While in Jerusalem the people were bringing gifts to the God of heaven and earth. Jerusalem had been saved by the Creator of all things. Hezekiah had gone in before his God, and God had answered him with God’s victory over Sennacherib.
Hezekiah was a mere spectator to this answered prayer. This was all of God, no one could take credit, no one could raise his arm in victory; for God the righteous judge had reached down out of heaven to deliver His people. They brought presents to Jerusalem unto the Lord, to the king, to the princes, to the Levites and to the rulers. All the people of Jerusalem reflected on the plight that could have been, now rejoiced in the unanimous praise of the Lord. They had experienced the redeeming power of God, from of the mighty hand of the king of Assyria. They had witnessed the hosts as a thundering surf of the sea which had come down with threatens and blasphemy against their God. Rabshakeh the general, and cupbearer of Sennacherib, had shouted out great swelling words against the God of heaven. God is not deaf that He cannot hear, nor blind that He cannot see; for He sees all, even the dark vessels of the heart of man.
Rabshakeh with his thundering words and the letter from his king were now gone. Instead of destruction there is peace in Jerusalem. God, the God of heaven and earth, did not use an earthquake, nor tumultuous winds, nor raging fires, but one angel in the silence of night reached out and squeezed the hearts of 185,000 valiant men of war, and silenced them forever more. The deliverance of Judah was completely divine, no doubt some had determined to fight unto their death; and others, who were not able to defend themselves, thought how they might hide from the invaders. No doubt some had resolved themselves to a great defeat; how fearful is man when God is not his shield. In the morning there was not a sound, they waited inside the walls for the sound from the blast of the Assyrian trumpet, but there was none to be heard. The sentries looked out from the top of the walls of Jerusalem; yet the Assyrian tents still remained closed. The banners fluttered in the breeze and no Assyrian hands held them. Spears and shields lay idle, the God of Israel had answered their prayer. Did they dare open the gate of the city? Then they opened the gate and went out to behold all the might of the Assyrian as they lay silent in a shroud of death. Imagine looking upon 185,000 men, their bodies lying still, never more to lift the sword, or throw the lance, or string the bow. One can see a godly king walking among the ruined men, the lifeless forms, the stillness, and yet, his heart was one of pity. There was never a harsh word after the defeat of the Assyrians from Hezekiah. He realized that the battle was the Lord’s, and he rested in the Sovereign judgment of God Almighty. These lifeless forms could have bowed their knee to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, but did not.
Throughout history man has rebelled against God, there have been divine judgments sent that no man could refute that it was from the hand of the living God; yet man in his sin continues to rebel against the Creator of all things. In the physical sense, Sennacherib came up against Jerusalem, in the spiritual sense he came up against the God of heaven. God had dealt out His judgment which was a just recompense for Sennacherib’s sin against the Almighty God.
Through Scripture we have prophecy, and the fulfillment of those prophecies, yet man will not believe. Great battles have been fought against the God of heaven, and there will be more to come. I take you to the last great battle of Adam and Satan against the Lord of glory. After a thousand years of the Lord’s millennial kingdom, Satan is loosed and he goes out, once again, to deceive the nations, and the armies of the world come up against the beloved city of Jerusalem. If there is no repentance and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ then judgment is all that is left for poor, unrepentant souls.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (Revelation 20:7)
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (Revelation 20:8)
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:9)
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
This last great battle takes place after all the blessings God has given to the world for a thousand years. They have not suffered famine, or pestilence, the ground brought forth abundantly, all that man could ask for was given by a holy and righteous God. Why then would men rebel against God who had given them so much? What could be the reason for this last great battle? The answer is found in God’s Word, many times over God has revealed the heart of man through His Word. God knows what is in the heart of man, He knows man in His complete divine way, for He created man from the dust of the earth. And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:25) Man is flawed by sin, he feels that by deceiving man he can also deceive God, this cannot be. God looks through all men and sees the transparency of their sins. This last battle is the ultimate battle of Adam and his sin against a holy and righteous God. The last chapter of man on earth is the destruction and termination of Adam. We, who have been blessed in the great salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been brought into a relationship of love from God Himself. We are not partakers of a mere word called ‘love,’ so loosely used by man; but we are brought into a relationship into the bosom of God in His beloved Son. For God is love and this love no man can measure. We are heavenly creatures, set apart at the end of this age. Our blessings are in Christ, we are His Bride, and He is the Bridegroom. Our blessings are the unsearchable riches of Christ. We are in subjection to Him as our Bridegroom by the divine mercies of God. We have become bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh. This is our realm, and our position. Israel, as a nation, was never in this position, their blessing, past and future, center around the earth, and of course, mount Zion and Jerusalem.
When the Lord Jesus comes in His 2nd advent to set His kingdom and His throne upon the earth in Jerusalem, He will establish Israel, and they will be showered with all the blessings of God. Jerusalem will truly be blessed as the city of the great King. Jerusalem, although, which now is, is in bondage to this world, and they will be set at liberty by their great King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I do not wish to add confusion to your prophetic life. There are two great divine battles that will take place upon this earth. Both battles will be the nations of the world, or Adam against God. The first battle will take place when the Lord Jesus comes as lightning out of the east to establish His throne in Jerusalem; at this time, He will destroy the armies of the world in the great battle in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Joel 3:2)
Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. (Joel 3:12)
After the nations have been put into subjection by Him, He will reign for 1,000 years. This will be 1,000 years of righteous rule. At the end of the 1,000 years, as I referred to previously, Satan will be loosed, and he will go out and deceive the nations, and once again, Adam in all his wickedness will come up against the Sovereign God and will be destroyed by fire. In the brief writing in Genesis concerning the fall of man, one does not see the entire scope of the fall of man. When Adam brought sin into the world there was a great convulsion, not only the things that are visible were affected, but the things that are not seen were affected as well. Whether it be in the realm of the earth, or the realm of heaven above, the sin of Adam has had an effect of things both terrestrial and celestial. We see that in both these judgments of Sennacherib and the deliverance of Jerusalem. God used his angel to minister the judgment and give divine deliverance to Hezekiah and his people. This is all because of sin that Adam brought into the world, and death by sin. This divine action of the past is a window to show us the hand of God in the future through prophecy. Yes, the Lord Jesus will rule on earth, He will be victorious, He will set His throne in Jerusalem, and He will judge a world in righteousness. Does this mean that all will be well during the 1,000 years of His reign? No. There will still be sin; however, the punishment for sin in His kingdom will be swift and just. The offender will have a choice of repenting and offering sacrifice or receive his just recompense of reward. At this time, the Devil will be bound in chains, and man will have no one to blame but his own evil heart. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. (Revelation 20:7) It is at this point that Satan will go out to deceive the nations. The nations of the world will come up against the holy city, which is the city of the great King, yes, Jerusalem. As in Hezekiah’s day, they will blaspheme the God of heaven, and surround the camp of the saints. At this time, God will not send an angel, but He will consume the last of Adam’s rebellious race. God then will cast the Devil into the lake of fire where the Beast, and the False Prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. At this point, God will set another throne, it is called the Great White Throne of Judgment. From this throne God will judge all the Cains of this world, all the Ahabs of this world, all the Sennacheribs of this world, all those who have rejected God’s grace through faith. This will be a time of solemn and exact judgment, for the books will be opened; and as one stands before the judge the charges will be read out against all those who stand in judgment. Each individual will be sentenced by divine righteousness, and they will be without excuse. The finality of this judgment is to be cast into the lake of fire, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Now is the day of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; Oh, that the sons of men would repent, that the sons of Adam would cast off their sins for the grace of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Many precious souls have perished without God’s saving grace. Should not our hearts be saddened, what one of us has not lost a brother, or a sister, or a mother or father, or a friend, or even an enemy; now all waiting for that last judgment against them. Lastly, in the fulness of time, God sent forth His Son, His only Son, but they would not receive Him; therefore, they took Him, by wicked hands, outside the vineyard and crucified Him. Should not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Hezekiah looked over the great spoil as far as the eye could see. The Assyrians had abandoned not only their dead, but a huge spoil lay open before the people of Israel. Their king had waited on God, and God had delivered them. The rejoicing began, and from all over they brought gifts to Hezekiah. And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth. (2 Chronicles 32: 23)
This great victory of the Lord caused the nations around Israel to fear, and Hezekiah was magnified in the sight of all nations from thence forth. His faithfulness to God brought fruit, not only for himself, but for all the people of Judah. We also see another window; the Holy Spirit is pointing through time to the great fulfillment of Psalm 2:6.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. The Apostle Paul writing to the Romans reminded them, and us, that the things that were written afore are written for our learning. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4) In closing, I offer a brief outline of 7 points concerning the time both now, and what is to take place in the history of man.
1. 2015 — a time to repent and be saved.
2. The end of the Church Age in the translation of the saints; although, this is an unknown time, the signs around us show us the time is at hand.
3. Upon the translation of the Church, there will be a 7-year period of tribulation upon the earth, divided into 2 segments of 3 ½ years. One is called The Day of Tribulation, the other is called The Great Tribulation.
4. Christ’s 2nd advent at the end of The Great Tribulation. He conquers the nations. (Isaiah 63), and sets up His throne for 1,000 years.
5. At the end of the 1,000 years reign of Christ, Adam and Satan rebel once more against the great God of heaven, and they are both judged out of heaven by the fire of God.
6. The Great White Throne judgment.
7. The new heaven and the new earth wherein righteousness dwells.
Rejoice, I say, rejoice in the Lord. Amen.
© Copyright 2015, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJB)