“Thine Enemies Roar in the Midst of Thy Congregations” [podcast]

Lucifer was cast down from Heaven and is now called Satan. He invaded the sinless pristine environment of the Garden of Eden. Check out Ezekiel 28:12-19. Read Psalm 74:4, 7. Satan infiltrates that which is ordained to be the place of the worship of God. He breathes his “strange fire” into those sanctuaries to destroy them.

Is the name of Jesus emphasized in your fellowship? Or has it been replaced with the worship of mere men?

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE OTHER NAME under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

“Which think to cause my people to forget my name BY THEIR DREAMS which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.” Jeremiah 23:27

Fascinating Details Revealed about Lucifer in Eternity Past

Is it any wonder that Satan seeks to infiltrate and subvert the worship of the Most High? As we know he was “in Eden the garden of  God.” Here in Ezekiel 28, we see the law of double reference where this applies to and speaks of the king of Tyrus and also Lucifer:

“Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” Ezekiel 28:12-19

Adam Clarke writes:

“Jeremiah 23:27
By their dreams – Dreams were anciently reputed as a species of inspiration; see Num_12:6; 1Sa_28:6; Joe_3:1; Dan_7:1. In the Book of Genesis we find many examples; and although many mistook the workings of their own vain imaginations in sleep for revelations from God, yet he has often revealed himself in this way: but such dreams were easily distinguished from the others. They were always such as had no connection with the gratification of the flesh; they were such as contained warnings against sin, and excitements to holiness; they were always consecutive – well connected, with a proper beginning and ending; such as possessed the intellect more than the imagination. Of such dreams the Lord says, (Jer_23:28): The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream – permit him to show what he has thus received from the Lord: but let him tell it as a dream, and speak my word faithfully, lest he may have been deceived.”

Of Jeremiah 23:27-29 Believer’s Bible Commentary notes:

“23:23-29 The omnipresent and omniscient God exposes the prophets for their dreams, which led people into idolatry. Their dreams were chaff compared to God’s word, which is like nutritious wheat, and also like fire and . . . a hammer.”

As seen here in Jeremiah 23, dreams are one way false prophets get His people to forget Him, His holy name.

As an earthly father or mother, picture some other man or woman seeking to draw your child away from you, to intercept and usurp the affections of your child’s heart which belong to you, the parent and no one else.

Do we begin to see why God’s very name is Jealous?

“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” Exodus 34:14

In Psalm 74, Satan and his human emmissaries are depicted in their evil endeavor to unseat God’s people from their pure worship of Him and therefore leading them to enter into sinful, damning idolatry – the worship of another god. See the first and second commandments in Exodus 20.

“Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.” Psalms 74:4

“Ensigns” here means flags, monuments. We’ve all seen the monument of the Marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima Japan after having through much bloodshed, conquered that plot of land. It marked a great victory and turn in that war.

Are you beginning to see a picture form?

Whenever an opposing army conquers that which belongs to their enemy, they plant their flag as a monument, a marker to their now conquering, possessing, and having reign over what was their enemy’s territory, domain.

While the enemy of our souls seeks to displace our flag, our banner, our pure allegiance to Christ, we must plant the banner, flagpole of our unadulterated allegiance, fidelity, and loyalty to Him.

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14

“Jesus must be our all in all! Your first love! ‘Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind’.” Matt 22: 37-40.” Karen Cochran

Daily, I must ask and ascertain what my true identity is!

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

The enemy of God who is Satan and his human agents, seek to infiltrate and bring the “strange fire” of their false teachings and un-biblical practices in the midst of what is supposed to be the pure worship of the LORD (Leviticus 10:1-3). Isn’t this exactly what Jesus violently rebuked and destroyed when He cleansed the temple of the greed-driven, covetous money changers who had made the place of worship into a den of thieves to rob the LORD of His glory and the people of their blessing to worship Him? Read Matthew 21 and John 2.

When the Communists (Satanic form of government) come in and begin taking over another country, they remove and replace the leadership and remove the historical landmarks that remind the people of what made their country great. As all can plainly see, as an example of this warfare strategy, that men who were more noble have been replaced by wicked men and women who obey unlawful, evil orders. Communists control and change the food supply to the people (natural food and spiritual food). They change the constitution, the rule of law of that nation they are infiltrating and taking over. In the same way, Satan seeks to replace those who faithfully feed the flock of God with hireling wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). The enemy seeks to rob, to steal, kill, and destroy that spiritual food which feeds the faith of the remnant elect of God. So he changes the Word of God, the Constitution of Christ’s kingdom. This is why he has changed the Bible, the words of God, and has removed the Holy Bible (KJB) from front and center of our gatherings.

“And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.” Jeremiah 23:36

“And they continued stedfastly in THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE (Word) and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:42

When God’s people don’t “continue(d) stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” they will famish and perish.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

Of this intriguing psalm, one writer notes:

“Psalm 74—If You Choose To Let It In, You Have To Let It Stay – The enemy cried ‘Victory’ in the midst of a place that evil should never have touched.”

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Do we have a pure or an adulterous heart? Is Jesus truly our “first love”? See Revelation 2:4-5.

You and I are in a battle for our eternal souls. Nothing could be more serious or consequential. Following Christ in the crucified life is essential to victory.

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4

“Not Holding the HEAD” = Not upholding Christ.

“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. 5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. 6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.” Colossians 2:3-19

At the root of this Bible message exposing the works of Satan, is “the spirit of antichrist” which is come to subvert, to intercept the pure worship of Christ, the only “HEAD” of the body He purchased with His precious blood on that cross (John 19:30; 1 John 4:1-4). Anti in the biblical word “antichrist” means in place of. Now reflect upon how Satan comes into the midst of where God is supposed to be worshiped and puts something, anything in place of Christ. There my friend, is the work of “many antichrists” at work in the modern church world. And note that the Bible informs us that there are “many antichrists” (1 John 2:18).

The devil has stolen the holy fire and the Word of God. What has such produced?

CAN anyone show us a good church member who is actually devouring, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word daily and evangelizing the lost? I doubt it.

What does this reveal?

Just what kind of fruit is this?

Bad fruit.

“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.” John 7:16, 20

Read Psalms 74 each morning this week. Your understanding will be greatly increased concerning the tactics of the enemy.

PRAYER: Father in Jesus’ name, please unite my heart to fear Thy name. Circumcize my wicked heart. Separate, remove all evil, every trace of it from this life You gave. I am not my own but Yours, bought with a price. I am Your vessel, a temple of Your Holy Spirit. Please purify my heart dear LORD. Like Your servant Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips and life. Wash me afresh with Thy precious blood dear LORD Jesus. From this moment forward, I am all Yours. Please use me mightilly, bearing much fruit for Your eternal glory. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Support | STORE | Podcasts | The Bridegroom is Calling His Bride | Purifying Ourselves as He is Pure [podcast] | 10 Clues Your Love for God is Waxing Cold [podcast]

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