In Part 1, I described the ancient path of God’s people to the homeland and how today’s end times ‘Jacob’-Judah remnant will re-discover this path in order to finally complete the journey once-and-for-all.
In Part 2, I discussed prophetic indicators and lessons given in the books of Moses that will be important for the last days ‘Jacob’-Judah remnant to learn from. In this current passage, Part 3, I will continue the discussion of these prophetic indicators and lessons that both the ‘Jacob’-Judah small flock remnant and the larger house of Israel remnant, along with Christian Gentiles, might heed in these last days. The major prophetic principle discussed in this passage is: God will protect his remnant people.
In their sojourning, God has ensured in the past and will continue to ensure that his people are protected from their enemies. And with his divine power, they will ultimately be victorious. This is part of God’s covenant. Because of Abraham’s faith in offering up Isaac, as part of God’s promise to Abraham and his seed, God told him, “Your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies” (Gen 22:17).
Protection of God’s people has been a function of God being among them and fighting for them. I demonstrated this as it applies to these end times in my prior series entitled, The Lord is with us (Parts 1-3). God’s remnant people will experience the same kind of protection that Moses and his people, ‘Israel,’ received.
In this passage, I will address the topic of God’s protection for his people in both Moses’ day as well as how this same kind of protection applies in these last days in separate sub-sections as follows:
- Protection in coming out of ancient Egypt (or ‘Babylon’)
- Protection in the wilderness
- The Lord fighting a spiritual war
I will address each of these topics in its separate section below.
Protection in coming out of ancient Egypt
To begin, when God’s people needed help from oppression and persecution in Egypt, and cried out to him, God responded. He said:
- “And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.” (Ex 3:20)
When God brought major plagues onto Egypt because of Pharaoh’s sin in holding his people, God’s people were not even touched by these. These were plagues very similar to the ones scripture says will come in the Tribulation period; the time when God’s “small flock” remnant people will be in the wilderness. Even the plague of locusts at the time of Moses we are told was worldwide, thereby setting a precedent for this type of judgment that will come again.
As just one example of God’s protection and provision during these highly impactful plagues of Moses’ day, when three days of thick darkness that scripture says “could be felt” by the people of Egypt descended as the ninth plague, we are told that the children of Israel still had light in their dwellings (Ex 10:23).
After God’s people were finally released by Pharaoh, then Pharaoh pursued after them. Here, God told Moses not to fear; he said, “the Lord will fight for you.” We are told the Lord sent the “hornet” after Pharaoh, which caused fear and dread to fall upon him and his army.
God’s saving Moses and his people from Pharaoh and Egypt and delivering them into the wilderness was a rescue effort. God later reminded his people of this deliverance by his powerful hands as follows:
- “I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.” (Lev 26:13)
- “But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.” (Deut 4:20)
We should also be reminded that, a few hundred years earlier, it was Joseph, as a ‘type’ of the Messiah, who saved his own ‘Jacob’ family from famine in the Egyptian wilderness, and remarked, “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Gen 45:7).”
Protection in coming out of last days ‘Babylon’-U.S.
The very same principle of rescue or “saving” his people will be true in these last days when God initially delivers the ‘Jacob’-Judah small flock remnant into the wilderness and “out of” ‘Babylon’-U.S. This initial exodus will likely happen at the time of a phony peace agreement in which there will be certain leaders who are caught. At this time, fear will come upon many of the world’s leaders, including the last days ‘Babylon’-U.S.’s leaders and its princes as well as the ‘Assyrian.’ We are told that just by the voice of the Lord alone, the ‘Assyrian’ will ultimately be “beaten down” and “smote with a rod” (Is 30:31). I have described in prior passages how the ‘Assyrian’ will be close, but will not be able to touch God’s holy remnant in the wilderness of ‘Babylon’-U.S.
The following scriptures allude to God’s saving of his targeted and escaped ‘Jacob’-Judah remnant at this time:
- “But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.” (Hos. 1:7)
- “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” (Is. 10:20)
- “Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.” (Is. 43:14)
God’s last days small flock remnant will be the first to be delivered into the wilderness and protected while in the midst of a spiritual war that will manifest more overtly and transparently. Then, they may subsequently require an extra degree of protection during ‘Babylon’-U.S.’s ongoing turmoil and a foreign army invasion (i.e. “armies from the north”) that is prophesied to come from outside of the nation.
Protection for God’s people in the wilderness in Moses’ day
In continuing their journey in the wilderness, the prerequisite for God’s people’s protection is the Lord’s presence among them. It is apparent that the Lord was among Moses and his people including in the tabernacle, on Mount Sinai, in the cloud of smoke/pillar of fire, in the burning bush, etc. We are even told that the people of the congregation heard God’s voice “out of the midst of the darkness” when Moses went up on Sinai and that they came near to him at that time.
Related to their continuing on their journey, God told Moses directly, “My presence shall go with thee” (Ex 33:14), and that, “I (will) send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared (Ex 23:20).” Additional indications of God’s direct presence among the congregation in Moses’ day are as follows:
- “And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.” (Ex 29:45)
- “For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.” (Deut 23:14)
Given that the Lord actually dwelt among his people, that was all of the protection they would need, but they needed to maintain faith. The goal was always to reach and to subsequently enter and claim the land of inheritance. But we know their faith stumbled at times. I will address this later in Part 4.
Protection for God’s people in the wilderness in end times ‘Jacob’s day
I described earlier in this current series how the last days ‘Jacob’-Judah small flock remnant’s path is a continuation of the ancient path for God’s people back to the homeland. Again, just as God was in the wilderness with Moses’ people, the Lord will again be among his people as a pathmaker; I described how the Lord is with his people in this capacity in my passage, The Lord is with us (Part 3) as well as in my passage entitled, Isaiah’s personal and prophetic story (Part 2).
To begin, the following well-known verse you may recall was spoken directly by God to end times ‘Jacob,’ emphasizing that he will be with him, and this can be seen as applying to those in ‘Jacob’s small flock remnant as well:
- “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Is. 43:2)
There are additional indications about how the Lord will be with his “small flock” remnant people in a protective capacity on their journey that will begin in the wilderness of last days ‘Babylon’-U.S. Recall that this will be a time of famine and other extreme challenges during the Tribulation period. The following prophetic scriptures are from the prophet Isaiah and show the strong similarities of God providing for the last days ‘Jacob’-Judah remnant just as he did for Moses’ people:
- “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” (Is. 41:17-18)
- “The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.” (Is. 43:20)
I have shown in prior passages how God assured end times ‘Jacob’ many times that he will be with him in the last days. He tells ‘Jacob’ and his Judah-remnant army: “I will hold your hand” (Jer 30:10); “I am with you” (Jer 42:11); “I am in the midst” (Jer 14:9); and “yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Is 41:10)
The Lord fights a spiritual war with his people in Moses’ day
The Lord was among his ancient people in their fight. In fighting for his people in Moses’ day and destroying their enemies, the Lord was among them in the form of traditional warring tactics (i.e. the “sword”). This is described as his “arrows drunk with blood” and a “sword (that) devours flesh” in situations such as those when his people went into battle as they did against King Sihon and the Amorites after the king refused the Israelites passage.
We have also seen how the Lord can fight, destroy and “cut off” enemies purely by means of spiritual warfare, by inflicting or mingling a perverse or evil spirit among them. God refers to this as doing his “wonders,” or as creating “terrors within.” Incidentally, this is how the secret war versus the anti-Christ Chaldean mystery of iniquity will initially be won in the last days.
This kind of spiritual warfare weapon God uses is the same as that which caused “fear and dread” to come upon Pharaoh and his army. Then, at the time of his people’s journeying in the wilderness, Moses was obviously aware of God’s protective supernatural presence and power among them and remarked:
- “And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.” (Num 10:35)
Scripture tells us that God’s enemies, Edom and Moab, were afraid of God’s people at the time they traveled through the wilderness. When Balak, king of the Moabites attempted to get Balaam (Num Ch. 22) to curse God’s people, God intervened and spoke to Balaam, who then became convinced of the blessings of God’s people and refused to curse them. God instructed his people to remain adversaries of the Midianites in Moab because of their “wiles” (i.e. tricks and schemes- ref: Num 25:17).
When God’s people are obedient, he defends them against these spiritual warfare tactics. This is referred to in Moses’ day when God said their enemies will, “come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways” (Deut 28:7). How else could this and the following scriptures be explained other than the “wonder” of God’s own spirit in warfare?:
- “One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.” (Is 30:17)
- “And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.” (Lev 26:8)
The Lord fights a spiritual war with his people in end times ‘Jacob’s day
We have signs about the last days in how the Lord fights again with his people, his last days ‘Jacob’-Judah remnant. The Lord says to ‘Jacob,’ who will be saved out of the time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee…(Is 41:10). In the book of Zechariah, we are told that the ‘Jacob army’ will be “mighty” and fight because, “the Lord is with them” (Zech 10:5). We are also told that end times ‘Jacob’ will be given the power to “pierce his enemies with his arrows.”
The following is just a brief sampling of what God will do in warfare on behalf of his oppressed and persecuted people in these last days; these scriptures certainly appear to include the effects of more traditional-type warfare:
- “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds.” (Mic. 5:10-11)
- “The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.” (Ps. 110:5-6)
- “Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.” (Is 65:12)
In what will be very impactful and severe judgments by God overall in the Tribulation period, including the effects of war in scriptures above, the Lord will also once again, at this same time, use his spiritual warfare techniques versus the enemy’s mystery of iniquity. The anti-Christ Chaldean enemy’s psychological warfare and propaganda tactics, used in covering up its cabal’s many sins and lawlessness, oppression and false accusations, and the “trapping” of the righteous will finally be uncovered.
(Insert: this excerpt taken and adapted from my prior passage, The Lord is with us, Part 1) We are told in scripture that the Lord “rises up” to do his “work” in these last days. This behind-the-scenes work to counter and defeat the anti-Christ Chaldean psychological warfare operation is referred to as his “strange work” (Is 28:21) and the “operation of his hands” (Is 5:12). His “work” likely sets in motion the “overflowing scourge” and his “trap” that is mentioned in scripture. It is also described as a “continuing whirlwind” (Jer 30:23) against the wicked, and furthermore as “like a moth eating up a garment” (Is 51:8).
Jesus in his first time on earth referred to his works alone as being his testimony and witness for him as being the Lord. About his works in fighting against the enemy in the last days, we are told:
- “Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?” (Is. 43:13)
- “For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (Rom 9:28)
The Lord has many ways to defeat his evil adversary. I have shown how the Lord can defeat his enemy merely by turning him against himself. In my passage, End Times ‘Babylon’-U.S., Part 2, I described in detail how God will turn ‘Babylon’-U.S.’s own false gods and idols against its leaders and people in the last days. When very hard times continue and only get worse in ‘Babylon’-U.S. in our current last days, its previously comfortable citizens are going to realize they trusted in gods, leaders and a country that cannot save.
The perverse, deceptive spirit that God mingles throughout in ‘Babylon’-U.S.’ (i.e. the “praise of the whole earth”) will cause chaos and confusion, as well as bewilderment and frustration as to how the United States cannot solve its own internal problems. This reminds of God asking his ancient wayward people when curses came upon them, “Where are your gods?” To ‘Babylon’-U.S.’s wicked, rebellious and “confounded” leaders who have defiled his name in the last days, God prophetically says:
- “Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.” (Is 47:13)
- “Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.” (Is 46:1-2)
Here, it is interesting to recall the meaning behind the concept and short story in Egypt related to how God turned Aaron’s staff into a serpent, which then swallowed up the Pharaoh’s serpent.
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In Part 4, I will address the final prophetic principles in the books of Moses that will be important for God’s last days lost sheep remnant and all Jesus Christ believers at-large.
Grace & Peace,
Lion’s Lair (LL)
Lion's Lair 