God is Sovereign Over All Health, Wealth and Liberty

 Greetings in the Lord,

It's been a little while since I've written so I will combine some words given for this month together, especially since they seem to follow a similar trajectory.

The first word comes from Exodus 8-10, which is about the plagues sent against Egypt for the rebellion of Pharaoh.  We all know the story, because of Pharaoh's hardened heart, he would not let the Israelite slaves leave Egypt to worship God in the desert.  But the interesting thing to note about the ten plagues sent against Egypt is that each of them had slightly different objectives.  Some of the plagues were sent only against the Egyptians, thus it differentiated between the Israelites and Egyptians.  Some of the plagues required the people to respond or react to the decree in faith, thus showing that they believed God when He said He was going to do something.  For example, the Egyptians were told to get their servants and animals out of the open field to protect them from harm from the hailstorm plague.  Some did and some did not, but be sure that whatever was in the open field was destroyed.  Likewise, the Israelites were given a set of commands to do before the tenth plague, where the angel of death came over the land.  The story does not record if any didn't follow the command to put blood on their doorposts, but surely if any hadn't, their eldest male child would have suffered the same fate as the Egyptians.   And lastly, there was a point in which the magicians of Pharaoh's court could not emulate the plagues that were sent against them, thus making them declare, "This is the finger of God!"  So needless to say, the plagues were less about destruction and more about putting your belief in God.  I discern that we are in a similar time in the United States.   

We will have and are having national hardships come against us one after the other, and the result will be either a growing in faith of God or a hardening of hearts, which will thereby make coming judgments against the rebellious a certainty.  So far we have already been seeing one national crisis after another: shortages in the stores and higher prices, an overrunning of our borders by illegals, crime waves skyrocketing in big cities, and attacks and mocking from nations all around the world as they scoff at our illegitimate and incompetent president.  And yet, just like Pharaoh, our political leadership and global corporations remain stubborn, pushing an antichrist and worldly agenda to get more rich and remain in power.  Well, that leads me to today's word from Isaiah 23 (and 24-25).  

In this chapter, we read about the Lord's decree against Tyre, which was a thriving harbor and center for seafaring commerce in those days.  The city and its merchants were extremely wealthy and arrogant, used to having the best from all reaches of the earth with their sea merchant expertise.  However, they too, were self-sufficient and prideful, rebelling against God's ways and living in hedonistic luxury.  They hoarded their wealth from the poor, and thought themselves to be untouchables, princes and self-made elites.  But as chapter 24 tells us, the Lord decreed disaster against Tyre and their merchant "kingdom."  The harbor would be destroyed and their trade routes stilled, much to the groaning of the people and businessmen alike.  

"In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.  They will be rounded up and put in prison.  They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished."  Isaiah 23:21-22.

However, in the midst of all the economic distress and commercial disarray, those who love the Lord, the remnant, will be joyful as they put their trust in God who shields them from disaster and steadies their hearts with His comforting Presence.  They will grow in their faith as songs of praise rise up in their hearts, for they see the strong hand of God bringing correction and justice to the wicked and corrupt leaders of the earth.  And as the chapter points out, even though people think prosperous companies -- "economic kingdoms" -- will always dominate, history shows that is not the case, and in fact, this prophetic word is saying that a major economic downturn is on the horizon for some of these global elites. 

Just ss many other prophetic voices are saying likewise these days, it is going to be a bumpy ride for some of the wicked elite soon, and God will deliver the people from their cruel and deceptive grasp.  Amen and amen.  We all long for the strong hand of God to bring His vengeance against those who think they can control all the world's wealth, health, and liberty of the inhabitants of the earth.  We praise God that no matter how powerful the elite think themselves to be, that God is stronger and eternally sovereign over all His creation!  

~Be blessed and be a blessing.