ISAIAH 25-26: “Apocalyptic Vision, Part 2: The Song Of Praise”
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our last study we looked
at the last of the ‘burdens’ or ‘woes’ pronounced against individual nations
and cities, and then we began to look at Isaiah’s apocalyptic discourse
pertaining to the whole world
1.1.1.
We began to look at the
apocalyptic discourse of the whole world (chapters 24-27) as Isaiah used the
metaphor of a city for illustration. We
saw how marvelously Isaiah’s Apocalyptic Vision of chapters 24-27 fits and
intertwines with other prophesy in the scripture. We saw that this was one of countless
instances where it could be no accident how that the scriptures do not
contradict each other but weave perfectly together and compliment and
re-emphasize each other
1.1.1.1.We saw that this discourse follows Jesus’ Olivet Discourse when He
began to answer the questions that His disciples put before Him:
1.1.1.1.1.When will these things be (destruction of Herod’s temple which Jesus
had just prophesied)?
1.1.1.1.2.What will be the sign of your coming?
1.1.1.1.3.What will be the sign of the end of the age?
1.1.1.2.We also saw that the discourse follows directly events prophesied in
the book of Revelation to occur during the 7 year Tribulation
1.2.
In our study today we are
going to continue to look at this apocalyptic vision of the end times from
chapters 25 and 26, and we will see how that once Israel has repented and
turned to Jesus as her Savior and the Millennial Reign of Christ begins, that
she will be filled with praise and thanksgiving for all of the benefits and
blessings that salvation brings
1.2.1.
God will reveal to His
people at this time
1.2.1.1.The true blessings that come as a result of knowing salvation through
Christ
1.2.1.2.His faithfulness
1.2.1.3.His ability to be strong on their behalf
1.2.1.4.His ability to protect His people as He is their rock of refuge
2.
VS 25:1-5 - “1 O lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy
name; For Thou hast worked wonders,
Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. 2 For Thou hast made a city into a heap, A
fortified city into a ruin; A palace of
strangers is a city no more, It will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore a strong people will glorify
Thee; Cities of ruthless nations will
revere Thee. 4 For Thou hast been a
defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge
from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall. 5 Like heat in drought, Thou dost subdue the
uproar of aliens; Like heat by the
shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.” - Isaiah tells us of the song
of praise that will rise up when the Lord has come to reign upon the earth
during the Millennium
2.1.
In verse 1, Isaiah sees that in judging all of
the nations on the earth, bringing all Israel to accept Jesus as the Messiah
and thus ‘be saved’(Rom. 11:26), and establishing His Millennial Reign upon the
earth, that the Lord has truly done the miraculous (‘worked wonders’), and that
He was also with ‘perfect faithfulness’ completing the plans that He had formed
before the creation of the world (long ago).
2.1.1.
We Christians sometimes find that when God
answers our prayers that we are on the one hand grieved at the unbelief that we
had about His ability or plans to answer our prayers, and on the other hand
blessed that in answering our prayer God once again revealed to us His
faithfulness to His word and His immutability (changelessness).
2.1.2.
What an awesome God it is that we serve for
He is ‘perfect’ even in His faithfulness.
2.1.2.1.In
2 Tim. 2:13, Paul wrote about how
that we believers may be faithless towards the Lord, yet He remains faithful to
us, “13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for
He cannot deny Himself.”
2.2.
Isaiah returns to his theme of ‘the city’ in
these verses, which is not a literal city upon the earth but rather the concept
of a city encompasses all of the cities and nations of the world unified in
their rebellion against God. Isaiah had
called this city in chapter 24, ‘the city of chaos’, indicating the confusion
and rebellion in it.
2.3.
This city which symbolizes all of the world
has been brought to be a ruin and a heap.
It had been fortified and because of pride gloried in it’s
invincibility, however the Lord has now judged all of the nations and removed
all of the wicked from off of the face of the earth. In it’s place the Lord has raised up a strong
people, and each of the ruthless nations of the earth are now populated by
those who revere God as Lord and are the peacemakers of the earth.
2.4.
Isaiah sees how that in the Lord judging all
of the nations and removing all of the wicked from off of the earth, replacing
them with those who are meek and fear Him, that He has shown Himself to be a
defender of the weak and helpless, and a refuge or protection for those who
were in distress and needy.
2.5.
Isaiah sees that the breath, or words of
threatening and self-exaltation, of those who were the ruthless of the earth
has had little effect in the end, for it is no more threatening than rain when
it falls against the wall of a house. It
just runs off and is no more. The Lord
has silenced those who were the ruthless of the earth like heat in a drought
destroys everything in sight. Like heat
by the shadow of a cloud dries up the rain before it even falls or runs along
the ground, so the Lord has silenced the song, or revelry, of the ruthless.
3.
VS 26:6 - “6 And the Lord of hosts will
prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with
marrow, And refined, aged wine.” - Isaiah tells us that the Millennial Reign of
Christ will be inaugurated with a great banquet for all peoples
3.1.
This
feast prophesied by Isaiah was prefigured in Exodus 24:9-11 when
after receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses and his seventy elders went up on
Mt. Sinai and beheld the Lord and feasted in His presence, “9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of
the elders of Israel,10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet
there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.11 Yet
He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and
they beheld God, and they ate and drank.”
3.2.
This feast is surely the Marriage Supper of
the Lamb which is written of in Rev. 19:7-9 and
alluded to elsewhere, “7 “Let us rejoice and be
glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His
bride has made herself ready.”8 And it was given to her to clothe herself in
fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the
saints.9 And he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the
marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.””
3.3.
The Pulpit
Commentary has the following written concerning this coming
marriage feast which will inaugurate Christ’s Millennial Reign upon the earth, “…it seems to be true to say that our author, and also St. John and
our Lord himself, imply that in the world to come there will be a feast, at
which God will be the host, and all men, priests and laity alike, his guests,
and receive from him the choicest and most exquisite gifts-gifts which will
make them supremely happy.”
3.4.
There is one logistical issue concerning “where”
the feast will be held for all of the peoples who alive at that point. If the ‘mountain’ referred to is
4.
VS 25:7-9 - “7 And on this mountain He will
swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is
stretched over all nations. 8 He will
swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God
will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of
His people from all the earth; For the
Lord has spoken. 9 And it will be said
in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might
save us. This is the Lord for whom we
have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad
in His salvation.”” - Isaiah reveals to us the blessings that will
come upon all of those left on the earth as they receive the full portion of
that which they previously had hoped in but had only tasted, namely the
salvation of God through Christ
4.1.
The veil that will be removed from over all
peoples on the earth at this time, is the veil described by Paul in 1 Cor. 13:12 which consists in partial knowledge of God
and the truths of salvation, in having only seen them through a mirror dimly, “12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I
know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
4.1.1.
Isaiah already mentioned in Is. 11:9 about how that when the Lord returns that
the earth will be full of the knowledge of God, “9 They
will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge
of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.”
4.2.
The full realized blessings of salvation for
the faithful remnant upon the earth at that time will consist of:
4.2.1.
Death destroyed for all time.
4.2.1.1.In
Heb. 2:14-15, we read about how that
Christ conquered death for us through the cross, “14 Since
then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of
the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of
death, that is, the devil;15 and might deliver those who through fear of death
were subject to slavery all their lives.”
4.2.1.2.In
Rom. 6:23 we read about the wages
of sin being death and the free gift of God through Christ being eternal life, “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
4.2.1.2.1.As
a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, mankind now dies in three senses:
4.2.1.2.1.1.Physical
death.
4.2.1.2.1.2.Spiritual
death (no more fellowship with God).
4.2.1.2.1.3.Eternal
death.
4.2.1.2.2.Through
Christ, death is conquered in each sense for the believer:
4.2.1.2.2.1.When
he dies he will go straight into the presence of Jesus, thus physical death is
conquered.
4.2.1.2.2.2.He
has fellowship with Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit united with his
spirit, thus spiritual death is conquered.
4.2.1.2.2.3.Eternally
he shall be with the Lord, thus eternal death is conquered.
4.2.1.3.In
1 Cor. 15:54-5, Paul wrote about
how that when Christ returns for His church that they will received resurrected
bodies just like His, and that at that time death will be done away with, “54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and
this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that
is written, “Death is swallowed up in
victory.55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?””
4.2.2.
Wipe away all tears.
4.2.2.1.Isaiah
says this same thing in several other places about God removing tears, crying,
and pain when He establishes His kingdom on the earth: Is.
30:19; 35:10; 51:11; 65:19
4.2.2.2.In
Rev. 21:4-5, we read about how that
when Christ creates the new heavens and earth for His people that He will
remove death, pain, tears, crying, etc, “4 and He
shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any
death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first
things have passed away.”5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am
making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and
true.””
4.2.3.
Remove the reproach of His people from over
all of the earth.
4.2.3.1.Though
we are persecuted in this life being God’s people, there we shall reign with
Him.
4.3.
Salvation had only been received in part by
God’s people, and thus they are seen still waiting for salvation, or the full
possession of salvation. However, now in
Christ’s Millennial kingdom that which they had previously only in part they
now have in full possession. This
results in joyous celebration and gladness of heart.
5.
VS 25:10-12 - “10 For the hand of the Lord will
rest on this mountain, And
5.1.
We saw already that
5.2.
Isaiah tells us that Moab will be trodden
down in the ‘water of a manure pile’, wallowing in the mire of her own sins,
and though she spreads out her hands to try to swim through this muck she
cannot do so for the Lord is determined to lay low her pride and the trickery
of her hands.
5.3.
5.3.1.
Those who refuse to humble themselves shall
find no mercy from the Lord on the day of judgment, for it is pride more than
anything which the Lord hates in men and women.
6.
VS 26:1-4 - “1 In that day this song will be
sung in the
6.1.
The city of Jerusalem is the ‘strong city’ of
Judea mentioned here, and the song tells us that the Lord has set up walls and
ramparts for security, however the gates of the city are opened for the
‘righteous’ and ‘faithful’ ones to enter in.
6.1.1.
Again we see that the wicked have been
removed from the earth, therefore the gates of the city can be opened.
6.1.2.
The Lord will be the protection of the city,
for He is described as ‘an everlasting Rock’ of protection in verse 4.
6.2.
The King James has I believe the best
translation to bring out the real sense of verse 3, “3 Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in
thee. ”
6.2.1.
This verse reveals the action carried out
upon man by God as a result of the action of man: God keeps His people safe and in ‘perfect
peace’, yet He does so as man has his mind ‘stayed on’ the Lord.
6.2.2.
In the previous chapter we saw the ‘perfect
faithfulness’ of the Lord, and here we see the ‘perfect peace’ which comes to
man as a result of keeping their focus and perspective upon the Rock of their
salvation.
6.2.3.
This verse reminds me of the ‘peace which
surpasses all comprehension’ which the Lord promises to those who are
constantly bringing everything to the Lord in believing prayer, “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7 And the
peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.”
6.2.3.1.I
have known people who have had a complete peace in their hearts from the Lord
in times when all of their circumstances should have caused them to have
anything but peace. I’ve seen people who
have lost spouses and children, all of their possessions, etc., and yet because
their hearts were set upon the Lord He gave them a supernatural peace that only
He could ever produce.
6.3.
Isaiah tells us that we can trust in the Lord
because in Him we have ‘an everlasting Rock’ of protection for our lives. Nothing surprises or shakes the Lord, and
nothing in heaven or upon earth can take us out of His hand (see Romans 8).
7.
VS 26:5-7 - “5 “For He has brought low those
who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the
dust. 6 “The foot will trample it, The
feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.” 7 The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous
level.” -
Isaiah tells us about how the Lord has brought low those of the
‘unassailable city’, the feet of the afflicted and helpless have trampled it
7.1.
We have seen that before Christ’s Millennial
kingdom is established that the wicked from all over the earth are destroyed
and removed from the earth, now the ones who will take habitation of the
nations are those who are God’s people.
God’s people are the afflicted, the helpless, and the righteous of the
earth. They are the ones who shall
inherit the earth.
7.2.
In verse 7, Isaiah calls the Lord by the
name, ‘Upright One’. God is always
upright in all His dealings. He always
does what He says He is going to do and He never does what He says that He will
not do, He is always righteous, holy, and just, and thus He deservedly called
the ‘Upright one’.
7.3.
Isaiah tells us that the ‘way of the
righteous is smooth’ and then he petitions the Lord to make the ‘path of the
righteous level’. Pride would raise or
puff it up, and perhaps sin and affliction would make it sink.
7.3.1.
The Pulpit
Commentary says the following about how the Lord makes the
path of the righteous level, “It is one of the main
blessings of the righteous that God “makes their way straight before their face”
(Ps. 4:8), “leads them in a plain path” (Ps. 27:11, “shows them the way they
are to walk in” (Ps. 143:8), so that they are for the most part free from doubt
and perplexity as to the line of conduct which it behooves them to pursue.”
8.
VS 26:8-9 - “8 Indeed, while following the
way of Thy judgments, O Lord, We have waited for Thee eagerly; Thy name, even Thy memory, is the desire of
our souls. 9 At night my soul longs for
Thee, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks Thee diligently; For when the earth experiences Thy judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” - Isaiah tells us of how is constantly looking
to and waiting on the Lord
8.1.
Isaiah does not just come to the Lord when he
wants to pray to the Lord to give him something, rather he longs and desires to
be with the Lord, and he comes to the Lord to be with the Lord. Many times in our walk and prayer life as
Christians, we are thinking only about what we will get from God, not about
just how we long to be with the Lord.
God knows that it is the case if the only times we come to Him is when
we want something out of Him. He longs
for fellowship with us, and we cannot expect Him to answer prayer that is so
selfish that it is only concerned with getting from God.
8.1.1.
Isaiah looked to and waited on the Lord with
eagerness.
8.1.2.
Isaiah thought of the Lord as the ‘desire’ of
his very soul.
8.1.3.
His prayer was for the Lord, not just stuff
from the Lord.
8.1.4.
In the night Isaiah longed for the Lord, and
his spirit within him diligently sought for the Lord.
8.2.
Isaiah tells us that the judgments of the
Lord cause the inhabitants of the Lord to learn what true righteousness
consisted of.
9.
VS 26:10 - “10 Though the wicked is shown
favor, He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the
majesty of the Lord.” - Isaiah tells us that when the Lord blesses
the wicked he does not learn anything from it
9.1.
God shows His favor to people, and in many
cases God even answers the prayers that people pray whose lives are not submitted
to the Lord. I have seen this happen a
lot. However, when God answers one of
these people’s prayers they take it for granted and they don’t learn anything
about their our sinfulness and need of salvation, forgiveness, and mercy from
God.
9.1.1.
These kind of people continue dealing
‘unjustly’ with others. They have
received God’s mercy upon them in spite of their own sins, and yet they
themselves do not learn from this to have mercy upon others.
9.1.2.
These kind of people do not learn anything
about the ‘majesty’ and greatness of the Lord when He answers their
prayers. Though they should realize from
there answered prayer what an awesome God the Lord really is, however their
thoughts are on the ends of the earth and thus they totally take the Lord and
what He does for them for granted.
10.
VS 26:11-13 - “11 O Lord, Thy hand is lifted up
yet they do not see it. They see Thy
zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, fire will devour Thine enemies.
12 Lord, Thou wilt establish peace for us, Since Thou hast also
performed for us all our works. 13 O
Lord our God, other masters besides Thee have ruled us; But through Thee alone we confess Thy name.” - The wicked do not see the
hand of the Lord when He moves and fire will devour them, but for God’s people
He will establish peace
10.1.
Isaiah tells us that the wicked do not see
God’s hand when it is ‘lifted up’ in judgment upon a nation or a people. People who are part of this wicked world that
is in rebellion against God do not think about the things that are really
important because if they did begin to think this way they would have to think
about their own sins and that their lives are not right before the Lord. People tend not to want to face their own sinfulness
before a righteous and holy God.
10.2.
God does put the wicked to ‘shame’ when He
judges them for how they treat His people.
He does this because of His zeal for His people whom He loves so
greatly, who are persecuted in this world.
10.3.
God’s people are seen by Isaiah as grateful
to have Him benevolently rule over them, for they have had other harsh masters
rule over them, and through (or because
of) Him alone they confess His Name.
11.
VS 26:14 - “14 The dead will not live, the
departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore Thou hast punished and destroyed them, And Thou hast wiped out
all remembrance of them.” - Isaiah tells us that the departed dead who
were not God’s people and thus were punished and destroyed and will not rise
11.1.
Isaiah is acknowledging the complete removal
from the earth of all of those who are wicked in this verse. God’s judgment of them has been complete, and
they shall never cause another problem for God’s people.
11.2.
Isaiah is not attempting in this verse to
make a statement concerning the wicked about whether or not their spirits will
be united with their bodies (resurrection of the wicked) for a future eternal
judgment, such as what will occur at the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned
in Revelation chapter 20. That is not
his scope of interest. For that
pronouncement we can go to the last verse in the book of Isaiah, Is. 66:24, where we find that the punishment of the
wicked is not annihilation, but rather we see that they shall be tormented
forever in hell, “24 “Then they shall go
forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire
shall not be quenched; And they shall be
an abhorrence to all mankind.””
11.2.1.The
maggot worms will eat the bodies of the wicked like they are garbage for all
eternity. Lovely. It’s nice to know that I’m a child of God,
saved, and going to heaven!
12.
VS 26:15-18 - “15 Thou hast increased the
nation, O Lord, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified; Thou hast extended all the borders of the
land. 16 O Lord, they sought Thee in
distress; They could only whisper a
prayer, Thy chastening was upon them. 17
As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth, She writhes and cries
out in her labor pains, Thus were we before Thee, O Lord. 18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor, We
gave birth, as it were, only to wind. We
could not accomplish deliverance for the earth Nor were inhabitants of the
world born.” - Isaiah describes how the Lord brought
deliverance for the nation of Judea at the end times when all
12.1.
The Lord increased the nation as He finally
caused her for the first time to possess all of the land promised to Abraham
and his descendants.
12.2.
The Israelites turned and accepted Christ as
their Messiah. Then, they finally cried
out to the Lord for deliverance, and it was their prayer for deliverance that
brought about the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the 7 year Tribulation
of the book of Revelation.
12.3.
The cry for deliverance by the Israelites was
given in such distress that they could only whisper a prayer. The Lord’s chastening hand had been upon them
for their sins and turning away from the Lord and their Messiah, and many had
died in
13.
VS 26:19 - “19 Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for
joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to
the departed spirits.” - God promises that His people will yet again
live upon the land
13.1.
There has been much debate about whether this
verse refers to individual resurrection from the dead, or whether it refers to
national resurrection from the dead.
13.1.1.Individual
resurrection:
13.1.1.1.In
the Old Testament we see that the doctrine concerning the afterlife of the dead
was not completely understood by most, and there are many verses which treat
the place of the dead as if it were a bit of an enigma. However, there are a couple of instances
where the doctrine of a future resurrection both of the righteous and the
wicked are clearly implied.
13.1.1.1.1.Daniel 12:2 is a good example of the doctrine of
individual resurrection being formulated, “2 “And
many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to
everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
13.1.1.1.2.After
speaking of national resurrection in verses 4-6, Ezekiel
37:12-14 actually brings out the individual resurrection of
the deceased Old Testament saints who will come out of their graves and enter
into the land of Israel, “12 “Therefore prophesy,
and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and
cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into
the land of Israel.13 “Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have
opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.14
“And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will
place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken
and done it,” declares the Lord.’””
13.1.2.National
resurrection:
13.1.2.1.In
Isaiah 11:12, we already saw that in
the end times that Isaiah had told us that all Israel (northern and southern
kingdoms) would again be brought into the land of Israel from the four corners
of the earth by the Lord, “12 And He will lift up a
standard for the nations, And will assemble the banished ones of Israel, And
will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.”
13.1.2.1.1.We
know of course that this was fulfilled when Israelites came from all over the
world back to
13.1.2.2.In
the Old Testament prophets, such as the famous verses from Ezekiel 37: 4-6, the Lord promised the nation of Israel that
they would once again be brought back to the land of Israel from all of the
nations where they had been dispersed, “4 Again He
said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the
word of the Lord.’5 “Thus says the Lord God
to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may
come to life.6 ‘And I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you,
cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you
will know that I am the Lord.’””
13.1.2.2.1.This
did not happen until 1948.
14.
VS 26:20-21 - “20 Come, my people, enter into
your rooms, And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while, Until indignation runs its course. 21 For behold, the Lord is about to come out
from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth will reveal her bloodshed, And
will no longer cover her slain.” - Isaiah tells us of the Lord’s plans to
protect His people during the 7 year Tribulation when He pours out His wrath
upon the nations
14.1.
Whenever God has undertaken to judge the
wicked He has always protected His people, for He does not judge the righteous
along with the wicked:
14.1.1.God
spared Noah and his family, the only righteous ones on the earth, during the
Great Flood.
14.1.2.God
would not destroy
14.1.3.God
destroyed every one of the city of
14.1.4.God
caused all of the plagues in
14.2.
Because God does not judge the righteous
along with the wicked, we in the Calvary Chapel movement believe that God must
also rapture the church out of this world before the 7 year Tribulation of the
book of Revelation where He pours out His wrath upon the world.
14.3.
The ones referred to in these verses are
those who have become believers during the 7 year Tribulation of the book of
Revelation, and we see that God says that they will go into a room and be
protected.
14.3.1.Some
believe that the Lord has a place picked out near
14.3.2.However,
all that we really know for sure is that the Lord does indeed plan to protect
His people when He moves to judge the world during that time.