#Zion in Scripture

[nathan-r-dooley]

Psalm 87 | Glorious Things of Zion Are Spoken

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song. “His foundation is in the holy mountains.The Lord loves the gates of ZionMore than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.Glorious things are spoken of you,City of God.” — Selah Nations Named Among God’s People “I will mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me;Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Cush:‘This one was born there.’” “But of Zion it will be…

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The LORD Surrounds His People

Those who trust in יהוה Are like Mount Tsiyon – It is not shaken, it remains forever. As the mountains surround Yerushalayim, So יהוה surrounds His people, Now and forever. — Psalms 125:1-2 | The Scriptures 1998 (ISR 1998) The Scriptures 1998 Copyright © 1998 Institute for Scripture Research. All Rights reserved. Cross References: Psalm 21:7; Psalm 46:5; Psalm 61:7; Psalm 121:8; Psalm 139:5; Proverbs 10:30; Isaiah 22:1; Isaiah 33:20; Jeremiah 21:13

Read full chapter

Notes: Psalm 125:1-2 conveys a message of stability and security for those who trust in the Lord. It compares those who trust in God to Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, and God's protection to the mountains surrounding Jerusalem.

[byfaithmedia]

Zechariah 2:8 🍎

[justana0kguy]

2024 JANUARY 06 Saturday

"Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion.

For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.

He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat He fills you.

He sends forth His command to the earth; swiftly runs His word!"

~ Psalms 147:12-15

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

They have not known, and they do not understand: Egypt will become like women, and it will certainly tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of Jehovah of armies which he is waving against it… 

“Woe to those going down to Egypt for assistance, those who rely on mere horses, and who put their trust in war chariots, because they are numerous, and in steeds, because they are very mighty, but who have not looked to the Holy One of Israel and have not searched for Jehovah himself. And he is also wise and will bring in what is calamitous, and he has not called back his own words; and he will certainly rise up against the house of evildoers and against the assistance of those practicing what is hurtful.

The Egyptians, though, are earthling men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. And Jehovah himself will stretch out his hand, and he that is offering help will have to stumble, and he that is being helped will have to fall, and at the same time they will all of them come to an end.

For this is what Jehovah has said to me: “Just as the lion growls, even the maned young lion, over its prey, when there is called out against it a full number of shepherds, [and] in spite of their voice he will not be terrified and in spite of their commotion he will not stoop; in the same way Jehovah of armies will come down to wage war over Mount Zion and over her hill. Like birds flying, Jehovah of armies will in the same way defend Jerusalem. Defending [her], he will also certainly deliver [her]. Sparing [her], he must also cause [her] to escape.”

“Return, YOU people, to the One against whom the sons of Israel have gone deep in their revolt. For in that day they will reject each one his worthless gods of silver and his valueless gods of gold, that YOUR hands have made for yourselves as a sin. And the As·syr’i·an must fall by the sword, not [that of] a man; and a sword, not [that of] earthling man, will devour him. And he must flee because of the sword, and his own young men will come to be for forced labor itself. And his own crag will pass away out of sheer fright, and because of the signal his princes must be terrified,” is the utterance of Jehovah, whose light is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Look! A king will reign for righteousness itself; and as respects princes, they will rule as princes for justice itself. And each one must prove to be like a hiding place from the wind and a place of concealment from the rainstorm, like streams of water in a waterless country, like the shadow of a heavy crag in an exhausted land. And the eyes of those seeing will not be pasted together, and the very ears of those hearing will pay attention. And the heart itself of those who are overhasty will consider knowledge, and even the tongue of the stammerers will be quick in speaking clear things. The senseless one will no longer be called generous; and as for the unprincipled man, he will not be said to be noble; because the senseless one himself will speak mere senselessness, and his very heart will work at what is hurtful, to work at apostasy and to speak against Jehovah what is wayward, to cause the soul of the hungry one to go empty, and he causes even the thirsty one to go without drink itself. As for the unprincipled man, his instruments are bad; he himself has given counsel for acts of loose conduct, to wreck the afflicted ones with false sayings, even when someone poor speaks what is right.

As regards the generous one, it is for generous things that he has given counsel; and in favor of generous things he himself will rise up.

“YOU women who are at ease, rise up, listen to my voice! YOU careless daughters, give ear to my saying! Within a year and some days YOU careless ones will be agitated, because the grape picking will have come to an end [but] no [fruit] gathering will come in. Tremble, YOU women who are at ease! Be agitated, YOU careless ones! Undress and make yourselves naked, and gird [sackcloth] upon the loins. Beat yourselves upon the breasts in lamentation over the desirable fields, over the fruit-bearing vine. Upon the ground of my people merely thorns, spiny bushes come up, for they are upon all the houses of exultation, yes, the highly elated town. For the dwelling tower itself has been forsaken, the very hubbub of the city has been abandoned; O’phel and the watchtower themselves have become bare fields, for time indefinite the exultation of zebras, the pasture of droves; until upon us the spirit is poured out from on high, and the wilderness will have become an orchard, and the orchard itself is accounted as a real forest.

“And in the wilderness justice will certainly reside, and in the orchard righteousness itself will dwell. And the work of the [true] righteousness must become peace; and the service of the [true] righteousness, quietness and security to time indefinite. And my people must dwell in a peaceful abiding place and in residences of full confidence and in undisturbed resting-places. And it will certainly hail when the forest goes down and the city becomes low in an abased state.

“Happy are YOU people who are sowing seed alongside all waters, sending forth the feet of the bull and of the ass.”

- Isaiah 31 & 32, NWT

It Will Certainly Hail When The Forest Goes Down And The City Becomes Low In An Abased State

[bills-bible-basics]

Jebus = Jerusalem = Zion = City of David Graphic 02 #Zion #Jerusalem #CityOfDavid "Jebus = Jerusalem = Zion = City of David" KJV Bible Verse List: https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse677.html "Mount Zion and New Jerusalem" KJV Bible Verse List: https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse396.html "New Jerusalem the Heavenly City" KJV Bible Verse List: https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse410.html Article: "New Jerusalem: Heavenly City and Mountain of the Lord's House": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/new-jerusalem-mountain-of-the-lord-1.html Article: "The Jerusalem Question: Middle East Peace, or War?": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/jeruques.html https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/jebus-jerusalem-zion-city-of-david-graphic-02/?Jebus%20%3D%20Jerusalem%20%3D%20Zion%20%3D%20City%20of%20David%20Graphic%2002

[trberman]

CFM | Exploring Doctrine and Covenants 64-66 - “The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind”

Welcome to Mindful Latter-day Saint Christian Living and Apologetics, where this week’s Come Follow Me Study of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History focuses on sections 64-66. In these sections, we dive deeper into the teachings and revelations that guide our journey as followers of Christ. My heart and purpose is to provide insight, understanding, clarity, and ways to liken and apply…

[martianmindfucker]

finished my current nv playthrough. strangely bittersweet. i have FPGE installed and walking through empty red rock and old mormon fort made me very sad. and when i went to the lucky 38 the only followers there were raul, cass and rex

[faithcampaigner]

Welcome to Hill of Zion

The Month of Zion’s Hill 📋Faith- Declarations: Psalms 2:6-9 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt…

[laciniabridal]

Isaiah 53

53

מִ֥י הֶאֱמִ֖ין לִשְׁמֻעָתֵ֑נוּ וּזְר֥וֹעַ יְהֹוָ֖ה עַל־מִ֥י נִגְלָֽתָה׃

“Who can believe what we have heard? Upon whom has the arm of GOD been revealed?

וַיַּ֨עַל כַּיּוֹנֵ֜ק לְפָנָ֗יו וְכַשֹּׁ֙רֶשׁ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֔ה לֹא־תֹ֥אַר ל֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א הָדָ֑ר וְנִרְאֵ֥הוּ וְלֹֽא־מַרְאֶ֖ה וְנֶחְמְדֵֽהוּ׃

For he has grown, by God’s favor, like a tree crown, Like a tree trunk out of arid ground. He had no form or beauty, that we should look at him: No charm, that we should find him pleasing.

נִבְזֶה֙ וַחֲדַ֣ל אִישִׁ֔ים אִ֥ישׁ מַכְאֹב֖וֹת וִיד֣וּעַ חֹ֑לִי וּכְמַסְתֵּ֤ר פָּנִים֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ נִבְזֶ֖ה וְלֹ֥א חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ׃

He was despised, shunned by others, A man of suffering, familiar with disease. As one who hid his face from us, He was despised, we held him of no account.

אָכֵ֤ן חֳלָיֵ֙נוּ֙ ה֣וּא נָשָׂ֔א וּמַכְאֹבֵ֖ינוּ סְבָלָ֑ם וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ חֲשַׁבְנֻ֔הוּ נָג֛וּעַ מֻכֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים וּמְעֻנֶּֽה׃

Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, Our suffering that he endured. We accounted him plagued, Smitten and afflicted by God;

וְהוּא֙ מְחֹלָ֣ל מִפְּשָׁעֵ֔נוּ מְדֻכָּ֖א מֵעֲוֺנֹתֵ֑ינוּ מוּסַ֤ר שְׁלוֹמֵ֙נוּ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבַחֲבֻרָת֖וֹ נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ׃

But he was wounded because of our sins, Crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, And by his bruises we were healed.

כֻּלָּ֙נוּ֙ כַּצֹּ֣אן תָּעִ֔ינוּ אִ֥ישׁ לְדַרְכּ֖וֹ פָּנִ֑ינוּ וַיהֹוָה֙ הִפְגִּ֣יעַ בּ֔וֹ אֵ֖ת עֲוֺ֥ן כֻּלָּֽנוּ׃

We all went astray like sheep, Each of us going our own way; And GOD visited upon him The guilt of all of us.”

נִגַּ֨שׂ וְה֣וּא נַעֲנֶה֮ וְלֹ֣א יִפְתַּח־פִּיו֒ כַּשֶּׂה֙ לַטֶּ֣בַח יוּבָ֔ל וּכְרָחֵ֕ל לִפְנֵ֥י גֹזְזֶ֖יהָ נֶאֱלָ֑מָה וְלֹ֥א יִפְתַּ֖ח פִּֽיו׃

He was maltreated, yet he was submissive, He did not open his mouth; Like a sheep being led to slaughter, Like a ewe, dumb before those who shear her, He did not open his mouth.

מֵעֹ֤צֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט֙ לֻקָּ֔ח וְאֶת־דּוֹר֖וֹ מִ֣י יְשׂוֹחֵ֑חַ כִּ֤י נִגְזַר֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים מִפֶּ֥שַׁע עַמִּ֖י נֶ֥גַע לָֽמוֹ׃

By oppressive judgment he was taken away, Who could describe his abode? For he was cut off from the land of the living Through the sin of my people, who deserved the punishment.

וַיִּתֵּ֤ן אֶת־רְשָׁעִים֙ קִבְר֔וֹ וְאֶת־עָשִׁ֖יר בְּמֹתָ֑יו עַ֚ל לֹא־חָמָ֣ס עָשָׂ֔ה וְלֹ֥א מִרְמָ֖ה בְּפִֽיו׃

And his grave was set among the wicked, And with the rich, in his death— Though he had done no injustice And had spoken no falsehood.

וַיהֹוָ֞ה חָפֵ֤ץ דַּכְּאוֹ֙ הֶחֱלִ֔י אִם־תָּשִׂ֤ים אָשָׁם֙ נַפְשׁ֔וֹ יִרְאֶ֥ה זֶ֖רַע יַאֲרִ֣יךְ יָמִ֑ים וְחֵ֥פֶץ יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּיָד֥וֹ יִצְלָֽח׃

But GOD chose to crush him by disease, That, if he made himself an offering for guilt, He might see offspring and have long life, And that through him GOD’s purpose might prosper.

מֵעֲמַ֤ל נַפְשׁוֹ֙ יִרְאֶ֣ה יִשְׂבָּ֔ע בְּדַעְתּ֗וֹ יַצְדִּ֥יק צַדִּ֛יק עַבְדִּ֖י לָרַבִּ֑ים וַעֲוֺנֹתָ֖ם ה֥וּא יִסְבֹּֽל׃

Out of his anguish he shall see it; He shall enjoy it to the full through his devotion. “My righteous servant makes the many righteous, It is their punishment that he bears;

לָכֵ֞ן אֲחַלֶּק־ל֣וֹ בָרַבִּ֗ים וְאֶת־עֲצוּמִים֮ יְחַלֵּ֣ק שָׁלָל֒ תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶעֱרָ֤ה לַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נַפְשׁ֔וֹ וְאֶת־פֹּשְׁעִ֖ים נִמְנָ֑ה וְהוּא֙ חֵטְא־רַבִּ֣ים נָשָׂ֔א וְלַפֹּשְׁעִ֖ים יַפְגִּֽיעַ׃ {פ}

Assuredly, I will give him the many as his portion, He shall receive the multitude as his spoil. For he exposed himself to death And was numbered among the sinners, Whereas he bore the guilt of the many And made intercession for sinners.”

[mindfulldsliving]

Responding to Paul Gee: Understanding the New Jerusalem and Joseph Smith’s Teachings

Paul Gee’s critiques of Joseph Smith’s teachings on the New Jerusalem raise important questions for Latter-day Saints and curious readers alike. He claims that Joseph Smith’s prophecies about building the New Jerusalem are false. But does this argument hold up under scrutiny? Mormons claim that they will build the New Jerusalem. This was taught by Joseph Smith. Unfortunately, it is a false…

[words-of-wisdom-found]

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Fool Says There is No God

1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no Elohim.” They have done corruptly, And they have done abominable unrighteousness; No one does good. 2 Elohim looked down from the heavens on the children of men, To see if there is a wise one, seeking Elohim. 3 They have all turned aside; They have together become filthy; No one is doing good, not even one. 4 Have the workers of wickedness no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on Elohim? 5 There they are in great fear, Where no fear was, For Elohim shall scatter the bones Of him who encamps against you. You shall put them to shame, For Elohim has rejected them. 6 O that the deliverance of Yisra’ĕl Would be given out of Tsiyon! When Elohim turns back the captivity of His people, Let Ya‛aqoḇ rejoice, let Yisra’ĕl be glad. — Psalm 53 | The Scriptures 2009 (TS2009) The Scriptures 2009 Copyright © 2009 Institute for Scripture Research. All Rights reserved. Cross References: Leviticus 26:17; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Psalm 10:4; Psalm 58:3; Psalm 59:2; Jeremiah 30:3; Amos 9:14; Micah 3:2 Romans 3:10-11

[byfaithmedia]

Shalom 🇮🇱

[justana0kguy]

2024 MAY 06 Monday

"Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

Let them praise His name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to Him with timbrel and harp.

For the LORD loves His people, and He adorns the lowly with victory."

~ Psalms 149:1-4

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

They are not his children, the defect is their own: For the ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who look for evil will be cut down...

“Woe to the city of Samaria, surrounded by her rich valley—Samaria, the pride and delight of the drunkards of Israel! Woe to her fading beauty, the crowning glory of a nation of men lying drunk in the streets! For the Lord will send a mighty army (the Assyrians) against you; like a mighty hailstorm he will burst upon you and dash you to the ground. The proud city of Samaria—yes, the joy and delight of the drunkards of Israel—will be hurled to the ground and trampled beneath the enemies’ feet. Once glorious, her fading beauty surrounded by a fertile valley will suddenly be gone, greedily snatched away as an early fig is hungrily snatched and gobbled up!

Then at last the Lord Almighty himself will be their crowning glory, the diadem of beauty to his people who are left. He will give a longing for justice to your judges and great courage to your soldiers who are battling to the last before your gates. But Jerusalem is now led by drunks! Her priests and prophets reel and stagger, making stupid errors and mistakes. Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere.

“Who does Isaiah think he is,” the people say, “to speak to us like this! Are we little children, barely old enough to talk? He tells us everything over and over again, a line at a time and in such simple words!”

But they won’t listen; the only language they can understand is punishment! So God will punish them by sending against them foreigners who speak strange gibberish! Only then will they listen to him! They could have rest in their own land if they would obey him, if they were kind and good. He told them that, but they wouldn’t listen to him. So the Lord will spell it out for them again, repeating it over and over in simple words whenever he can; yet over this simple, straightforward message they will stumble and fall and be broken, trapped and captured.

Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem:

You have struck a bargain with death, you say, and sold yourselves to the devil in exchange for his protection against the Assyrians. “They can never touch us,” you say, “for we are under the care of one who will deceive and fool them.”

But the Lord God says, “See, I am placing a Foundation Stone in Zion—a firm, tested, precious Cornerstone that is safe to build on. He who believes need never run away again. I will take the line and plummet of justice to check the foundation wall you built; it looks so fine, but it is so weak a storm of hail will knock it down! The enemy will come like a flood and sweep it away, and you will be drowned. I will cancel your agreement of compromise with death and the devil, so when the terrible enemy floods in, you will be trampled into the ground. Again and again that flood will come and carry you off, until at last the unmixed horror of the truth of my warnings will finally dawn on you.”

The bed you have made is far too short to lie on; the blankets are too narrow to cover you. The Lord will come suddenly and in anger, as at Mount Perazim and Gibeon, to do a strange, unusual thing—to destroy his own people! So scoff no more, lest your punishment be made even greater, for the Lord God has plainly told me that he is determined to crush you.

Listen to me, listen as I plead: Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever harrowing the soil and never planting it? Does he not finally plant his many kinds of grain, each in its own section of his land? He knows just what to do, for God has made him see and understand. He doesn’t thresh all grains the same. A sledge is never used on dill, but it is beaten with a stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cummin, but it is beaten softly with a flail. Bread grain is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. The Lord Almighty is a wonderful teacher and gives the farmer wisdom.

Woe to Jerusalem, the city of David. Year after year you make your many offerings, but I will send heavy judgment upon you, and there will be weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem shall become as her name “Ariel” means—an altar covered with blood. I will be your enemy. I will surround Jerusalem and lay siege against it, and build forts around it to destroy it. Your voice will whisper like a ghost from the earth where you lie buried.

But suddenly your ruthless enemies will be driven away like chaff before the wind. In an instant, I, the Lord of Hosts, will come upon them with thunder, earthquake, whirlwind, and fire. And all the nations fighting Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! As a hungry man dreams of eating but is still hungry, and as a thirsty man dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when he wakes up, so your enemies will dream of victorious conquest, but all to no avail.

You are amazed, incredulous? You don’t believe it? Then go ahead and be blind if you must! You are stupid—and not from drinking, either! Stagger, and not from wine! For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and seers, so all of these future events are a sealed book to them. When you give it to one who can read, he says, “I can’t, for it’s sealed.” When you give it to another, he says, “Sorry, I can’t read.”

And so the Lord says, “Since these people say they are mine but they do not obey me, and since their worship amounts to mere words learned by rote, therefore I will take awesome vengeance on these hypocrites and make their wisest counselors as fools.”

Woe to those who try to hide their plans from God, who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! “God can’t see us,” they say to themselves. “He doesn’t know what is going on!” How stupid can they be! Isn’t he, the Potter, greater than you, the jars he makes? Will you say to him, “He didn’t make us”? Does a machine call its inventor dumb?

Soon—and it will not be very long—the wilderness of Lebanon will be a fruitful field again, a lush and fertile forest. In that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the blind will see my plans. The meek will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord, and the poor shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. Bullies will vanish and scoffers will cease, and all those plotting evil will be killed—the violent man who fights at the drop of a hat, the man who waits in hiding to beat up the judge who sentenced him, and the men who use any excuse to be unfair.

That is why the Lord who redeemed Abraham says: “My people will no longer pale with fear or be ashamed. For when they see the surging birthrate and the expanding economy, then they will fear and rejoice in my name; they will praise the Holy One of Israel and stand in awe of him. Those in error will believe the truth, and complainers will be willing to be taught!

Woe to my rebellious children, says the Lord; you ask advice from everyone but me and decide to do what I don’t want you to do. You yoke yourselves with unbelievers, thus piling up your sins. For without consulting me you have gone down to Egypt to find aid and have put your trust in Pharaoh for his protection. But in trusting Pharaoh, you will be disappointed, humiliated and disgraced, for he can’t deliver on his promises to save you. For though his power extends to Zoan and Hanes, yet it will all turn out to your shame— he won’t help one little bit!

See them moving slowly across the terrible desert to Egypt—donkeys and camels laden down with treasure to pay for Egypt’s aid. On through the badlands they go, where lions and swift venomous snakes live—and Egypt will give you nothing in return! For Egypt’s promises are worthless! “The Reluctant Dragon,” I call her!

Now go and write down this word of mine concerning Egypt, so that it will stand until the end of time, forever and forever, as an indictment of Israel’s unbelief. For if you don’t write it, they will claim I never warned them. “Oh no,” they’ll say, “you never told us that!”

For they are stubborn rebels. They tell my prophets, “Shut up—we don’t want any more of your reports!” Or they say, “Don’t tell us the truth; tell us nice things; tell us lies. Forget all this gloom; we’ve heard more than enough about your ‘Holy One of Israel’ and all he says.”

This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel:

Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in frauds and lies and won’t repent, therefore calamity will come upon you suddenly, as upon a bulging wall that bursts and falls; in one moment it comes crashing down. God will smash you like a broken dish; he will not act sparingly. Not a piece will be left large enough to use for carrying coals from the hearth, or a little water from the well. For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says: Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved; in quietness and confidence is your strength; but you’ll have none of this.

“No,” you say. “We will get our help from Egypt; they will give us swift horses for riding to battle.” But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you! Five of them will scatter you until not two of you are left together. You will be like lonely trees on the distant mountaintops. Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love; he will conquer you to bless you, just as he said. For the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him to help them.

O my people in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more, for he will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. He will answer you. Though he give you the bread of adversity and water of affliction, yet he will be with you to teach you—with your own eyes you will see your Teacher. And if you leave God’s paths and go astray, you will hear a voice behind you say, “No, this is the way; walk here.” And you will destroy all your silver idols and gold images and cast them out like filthy things you hate to touch. “Ugh!” you’ll say to them. “Be gone!”

Then God will bless you with rain at planting time and with wonderful harvests and with ample pastures for your cows. The oxen and young donkeys that till the ground will eat grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. In that day when God steps in to destroy your enemies, he will give you streams of water flowing down each mountain and every hill. The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sunlight brighter than seven days! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and to cure the wounds he gave them.

See, the Lord comes from afar, aflame with wrath, surrounded by thick rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; his words consume like fire. His wrath pours out like floods upon them all, to sweep them all away. He will sift out the proud nations and bridle them and lead them off to their doom.

But the people of God will sing a song of solemn joy, like songs in the night when holy feasts are held; his people will have gladness of heart, as when a flutist leads a pilgrim band to Jerusalem to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock of Israel. And the Lord shall cause his majestic voice to be heard and shall crush down his mighty arm upon his enemies with angry indignation and devouring flames, with tornados, terrible storms, and huge hailstones. The voice of the Lord shall punish the Assyrians, who had been his rod of punishment. And when the Lord smites them, his people will rejoice with music and song. The funeral pyre has long been ready, prepared for Molech, the Assyrian god; it is piled high with wood. The breath of the Lord, like fire from a volcano, will set it all on fire.

Woe to those who run to Egypt for help, trusting their mighty cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Holy One of Israel and consulting him. In his wisdom, he will send great evil on his people and will not change his mind. He will rise against them for the evil they have done and crush their allies too. For these Egyptians are mere men, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord clenches his fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those they are trying to help. All will fail together.

But the Lord has told me this: When a lion, even a young one, kills a sheep, he pays no attention to the shepherd’s shouts and noise. He goes right on and eats. In such manner the Lord will come and fight upon Mount Zion. He will not be frightened away! He, the Lord Almighty, will hover over Jerusalem as birds hover round their nests, and he will defend the city and deliver it.

Therefore, O my people, though you are such wicked rebels, come, return to God. I know the glorious day will come when every one of you will throw away his gold idols and silver images—which in your sinfulness you have made.

The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by swords of men. The “sword of God” will smite them. They will panic and flee, and the strong young Assyrians will be taken away as slaves. Even their generals will quake with terror and flee when they see the battle flags of Israel, says the Lord. For the flame of God burns brightly in Jerusalem.”

-Isaiah 28-31, TLB

Like Fire From A Volcano: The Funeral Pyre Has Long Been Ready, Prepared For Molech