Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

 Isaiah 36-39

Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Isaiah 36:16-17

I continue my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, I continue with Lesson 14, looking at Day 2, which looks specifically at Isaiah 36.  Core to Isaiah 36 is how King Sennacherib of Assyria sends Rabshakeh to meet with representatives sent by King Hezekiah of Judah. Rabshakeh mocks both Judah and the Lord and it is the manner in which Rabshakeh does his mocking of Judah and the Lord that is instructive for believers.  My commentary offers great insights here.  Rabshakeh uses God's own words (v10) where it is true that Assyria was led by God to invade Judah (for its sin), and just as Satan does, tries to tempt and entice Judah into submission through a promise of prosperity.  This is how Satan works - by tempting us with empty promises. It is God-alone that gives us prosperity, peace, etc. and He can also take it away.  We should certainly not expect prosperity (we all sin and the wages of sin are death (Romans 3:23, 6:23) - in fact Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that we are to expect trouble, and in the same message, Jesus offers us peace through Him that ultimately we will overcome these troubles because of eternal life in Heaven with Jesus.  I am reminded of how Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4) but does not fall for Satan's empty promises.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You offer what none other can - peace, patience, kindness, love, joy, etc. - all the fruits of the Spirit.  Most importantly, You offer eternal life - the greatest gift of all time - for all that repent and turn to You. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of any of these blessings or gifts. My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me and help me turn from these sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 12-14

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12:9

I continue with my D-Group's study of Revelation using Stephen Witmer's commentary and study guide.  For this week, the study looks at Revelation 12-14, which according to my commentary looks at "the spiritual reality behind and beneath [the] conflict [arising both within and without the church].  For today, I look at the extent to which Satan is the great deceiver.  My commentary notes that "Satan attempts to deceive the world by imitating God," and points out several striking similarities between Satan and God in Revelation 12-14, including: 

• God exists as the Triune God or Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in Revelation we see the dragon, the beast from the land and the beast from the sea
• the Lamb was killed and raised to life (Jesus); in Revelation 13 we see the beast from the sea "seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast."
• God seals His saints by writing His name on their foreheads; the beast from the land marks his servants (Revelation 13:16-17)
•  the church is clothed in white; world kingdoms in the Bible are represented with purple and scarlet
  

The commentary also points to 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 for an additional scripture warning from Paul about how Satan imitates God:

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is full of love for me...giving me protection from Satan - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessings.  My sin is great, it continues, and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach an d Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.