(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Amen. Okay, so it's Isaiah chapter 27 now in our Isaiah Bible study and we were in obviously chapter 26 last week and if you remember it was this song that Isaiah relayed that was to be sung in that day with the true fulfillment still to come with the second coming of Christ. The song was full of doctrine, wasn't it, unlike most of what's sung in the world's churches today, sadly, with it focusing particularly on that coming rule and reign of Christ to the saved freely entering in and out of Jerusalem and we saw how the tables will be turned with the majority of those who are reigning with Christ being those that were poor and needy in this life and that is going to be an interesting turn isn't it from what we see in the world and have seen in the world for a long time now. We saw how the wicked though will not learn righteousness but will be full of envy for God's people. There was another reminder that God's people being moved around, a reminder that God's people saw you being moved around the world results in his nation increasing, so we saw that and how when God's people are spread the nation, his people then increase, they grow, they multiply and therefore how we should aim to get the gospel out without having to resort to God scattering us first, right. But that's what will eventually come with the tribulation perhaps being what it takes to get God's people to receptive places. Maybe that's kind of going to be one final way of doing that, however there will be a final short time at the end of that when God's people will need to flee and hide before he returns being a great tribulation. Said in verse 20, come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee. Hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over past. For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain. Then Isaiah 27 says this in verse 1, in that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan that the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. I'm gonna pray and then we're gonna get going with this chapter. Father thank you for your word Lord, thank you for the truths we can get out of this chapter. Lord help me to preach those clearly and accurately and boldly to everyone here Lord. We pray that everyone would just have attentive ears Lord and I'll just preach in a way that people will be able to apply and think of things and that your word will just just affect them, touch people's hearts here Lord and help them to want to put things into practice, want to change, want to grow, help us all to just keep growing Lord as a church and your word to help us to do that tonight. Jesus name, pray all of this, Amen. Okay so he said in that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. So what is this creature Leviathan? Turn to Job chapter 40, we're going to turn to first, where God gives us a detailed description of another creature. So you turn into Job 40. We just read in Isaiah 27 one that in that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. So he's described as a piercing serpent, a crooked serpent, a dragon that's in the sea. And from Job 38, okay, God's been pointing out Job's sort of minuscule understanding of things compared to the Lord's. He's asking him questions which Job doesn't try to answer and it's about some of the wonders of the world basically. He describes a creature called Behemoth here in Job 30 where it says this, Job 40, sorry, it says this in verse 15. Verse 15 there, behold now Behemoth which I made with thee, he eateth grass as an ox. Lo, now his strength is in his loins and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. So there are those, I don't know if you've ever looked into this stuff, there are those that want to suggest that Behemoth is an elephant or a hippo. But I haven't seen any of those tails moving like a cedar and point being cedars are being very big trees, right, and you don't really see much in terms of big tails on elephants or hippos. But people want to try and compromise, they want to try and fit it into our so-called wise understanding of things nowadays. Well it said here his bones are as strong pieces of brass, his bones are like bars of iron. He is a chief of the ways of God. He that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. Surely the mountains bring him forth food where all the beasts of the field play. Sounds more like a predator to me, doesn't it? Doesn't it? The mountains bring him forth food where all the beasts of the field play. It doesn't sound much like an elephant or a hippo there either. He lieth under the shady trees in the covert of the reed and fence. The shady trees cover him with a shadow. The willows of the brook compasses him about. Behold he drinketh up a river and hasteth not, he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes, his nose pierces through snares. So with that in mind, okay, the sighs being inferred with the cedar-like tail, many believe that Behemoth is referring to something like what would be known as a sauropod dinosaur, like the Brachiosaurus or Diplodocus, if you can kind of picture those sorts of dinosaurs. Have you ever been into that sort of thing? Well, regardless, okay, he definitely ain't a hippo. Okay, that's definitely a creature that seems to be extinct now, okay, with a tail like a cedar, this sort of creature here. And many do think that, I believe that as well, that it seems to be describing that sort of dinosaur as we know it now. Well, after this impressive creature, okay, Leviathan is then described. So he then goes on in Job 41 to talk about Leviathan. He says in verse 1, Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook, or his tongue with a cord which thou let us down? So he's asking if you could catch him like a fish, basically. And the answer to this and the following questions is clearly a no, okay. No, you can't fish him, okay. Verse 2, can't thou put an hook into his nose, or bore his jaw through with a thorn? So you're not going to get control of him either, basically, okay. The answer again is no. You're not going to just be able to control him like, you know, like leading around an animal with something in their nose and maybe a chain on the end of it. Will he make any supplications unto thee? Will he speak soft words unto thee? Will he make a covenant with thee? Wilt thou take him for a servant forever? So he's not becoming a working animal, basically, okay. He's not going to be, he's not going to work for you, he's not going to graft for you. Wilt thou play with him as with a bird, or wilt thou bind him for Leviathan's definitely not going to be a pet for you either, okay. Shall the companions make a banquet of him? Shall they part him among the merchants? So he's not getting eaten easily either, okay. He's not going to get like eaten and chopped up and butchered. Can thou fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish spears? So it sounds though his skin is too tough for spears, for hooks, for barbed irons. Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. So basically you'd be lucky to do more than lay a hand on him, I think. Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. I think that's going to be the last battle you have. Behold the hope of him is in vain. Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? So he's so scary, this creature, that even the sight of him is enough to make you give up. None is so fierce that dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand before me? So God's saying if you're scared of Leviathan, what about the God that created him? What about the God that created Leviathan? He said, who hath prevented me that I shall repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. Who can discover the face of his garment, or who can come to him with his double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face? His teeth are terrible round about, his scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. So scales, so definitely not a whale. And again I say that because there's a lot of people that want to try and just say, oh well this is clearly talking about a whale. This is definitely not talking about a whale. Okay, clearly not a whale, as many seem to suggest. And then what they also do is they go, oh no it's a crocodile. It's not a crocodile as we're gonna see, okay. We saw him described as a serpent, he then says this in verse 16, one is so near to another that nowhere can come between them. Let's talk about the scales on him, like armour almost, yeah. They are joined one to another, they stick together, they cannot be sundered. I mean that's some tough skin. By his kneesings a light doth shine and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. So eyelids of the morning I think is probably talking about them being like basically very bright, okay. Kneesings are sneezings. And he said by his kneesings a light doth shine. And as we're gonna see, a light back then was from what? Was from fire. Okay, look at what it says in verse 19. Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils go smoke, as out of a seething pot or cauldron. His breath kindleth coals and a flame goeth out of his mouth. I don't know about you, I've never seen a whale or crocodile breathe fire. Okay, maybe they used to, but I don't think that's the case, right. So before we continue, what is this creature that God is describing? Well we've already seen Isaiah define this creature. Isaiah 27 one said, and we're gonna stay in Job 40 there, but it said, Job 41, so it says in verse 1 of Isaiah 27, in that day the Lord with his sword and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. And that's just using it as another name for him. He's calling it a piercing serpent, a crooked serpent, and a dragon. Now, like I said, Q scholars and others all over the world trying desperately to argue this away, because our oh-so-wise world has decided that there's no such thing as a dragon. There's no such thing as Leviathan as described here, so let's just try and, maybe it's like a bit of hyperbole and he's really talking about a crocodile. That's not a crocodile. Oh, he's actually talking about a whale. That's not a whale. They don't breathe fire. And he's really gone into depth of the description there, hasn't he, as well. Now I did talk about this briefly in Isaiah 13, how Micah preached of the wailing of dragons, didn't he. Jeremiah referred to their size and breathing. Malachi of the dragons in the wilderness. And here we have a very vivid picture of Leviathan, and according to Job, he's a type of dragon. He's a type of dragon. The only difference now is that we just call such things dinosaurs. That's the only difference for me. We call them dinosaurs, but people will go, but millions of years, is it billions now with dinosaurs or millions? I don't know. It changes every year. But apparently they know everything. Yeah, it changes all the time. But whatever, millions. Let's go with millions. They'll go to, but they were extinct long before humans. Well, I also brought up, if you remember in Isaiah 13, I know a lot of people can't ever understand this, this, these truths anyway, but I brought up things like how in Babylon, a famous entrance called the Ishtar Gate was built by Nebuchadnezzar II. This gate displays a reptilian creature with four legs standing upright on its hips like a dinosaur. Where do they, what, they just just made it up, did they? How in China there's 11 common animals on their calendar, and then the 12th one is just this mythological dragon thing that there's no such thing, it's just a big old joke. I mean, what on earth, right? Who believes this stuff? They've got the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, the pig. Oh, and then that mythical dragon that there's no such thing of. In the 13th and 14th century AD, that's not that, that's not, that's not that long ago, Marco Polo described dragons when he was in China, and he wasn't known for lying and making things up. He said, the jaws are wide enough to swallow a man, the teeth are large and sharp, and their whole appearance is so formidable that neither man nor any kind of animal can approach them without terror. In Egypt, Herodotus, an ancient Greek writer recorded in the histories, there is a place in Arabia, which, which, you know, is now modern Egypt, situated very near the city of Buto, to which I went, on hearing of some winged serpents. When I arrived there, I saw bones and spines of serpents, in such quantities it would be impossible to describe. The form of the serpent is like that one of the water snake, but he has wings without feathers, and as like as possible to the wings of a bat. And it wasn't just there, in England, Bishop Bell, who died in 1496, is buried in the foundation of Carlisle Cathedral, and the ornate brass engravings around, around the grave show several animals, some of which appear to be dinosaurs, like a long-necked sauropod and a horned ceratopsian. And then also the Roman historian Cassius Dio Recanto, a Roman army, once killed a dragon, who sent its hide to the Roman Senate, and was measured at 120 feet long. Our patron Saint St. George was venerated for, for killing a dragon. Yeah, well that's just a myth. Well, and the rest of it's all myths, and they've all just got these, all over the world, they've just got these mythological, this mythological creature, just in different engravings, different pictures, different, I mean, what on earth? But honestly, people just believe that, don't they? Well, because someone who says they're a scientist said it must be true, right? Let alone all the pictures, engravings, pottery, like I said, from all four corners of the world, all over the world. Pictures, cave drawings, all these different things of creatures that we're now told were millions and millions of years ago, extinct, never lived by man. So where did all these pictures come from? Where did it all come from? Now, some would go, yeah, but why are all those clever folks, you know, I mean, they've got like letters after their names. These are like clever people. Why are they all so convinced that dragons are mythical and dinosaurs are for millions of years gone extinct? Because once enough people want something to be the case, it becomes a set narrative and then anything else that is just viewed from that perspective, isn't it? So, for example, like the Big Bang Theory. It's like, that's become kind of the narrative, so then everything else, we just try and fit it into that, fit it into this sort of macro evolution and just to the point where you're kind of almost shunned for thinking outside the box and for saying anything different, or laughed at and mocked. But I find that view just laughable. I think it's ridiculous. Like, how do you explain away? What, all these dragons in all these different corners of the world, all these pictures, all these drawings, all these things which look like dinosaurs are all just, what, made up. They just happen to make up these creatures that now we're apparently digging up these bones and finding them. In fact, yeah, there were some creatures that looked just like those engravings and those cave drawings and everything else. But, like once people want something to be the case, so when people just really want there to be no God, they'll just find anything to try and prove that, to support that, and they won't think there could be any other option. Well, we've just read a pretty clear description of a dragon from a few thousand years ago, haven't we? That was a pretty clear description, wasn't it, of what we know of as a dragon, which lines up with Isaiah's brief mention of this creature in Isaiah 27, who's also mentioned by Asaph in Psalm 74, the psalmist of Psalm 104 as well. So not a myth, not Dungeons and Dragons, make-believe, not a millions-of-year-old creature with a bit of fire added for fun. And on the topic of fire-breathing, okay, and you go, well, I'll go with all that, I'm not going with the fire-breathing, because, you know, those people that like dig up some bones and then put them together with some real animal bones and, you know, and it's a massive industry, that as well. Don't get me wrong, there, you know, some stuff is legit, a lot of it, throughout years, throughout history, there have been so many proven, fake, so-called dinosaurs and species, where it turned out they were using, like, chicken bones and bones of other animals, because they dug up maybe one bone and were like, we've got to make something, because if we make something, we're gonna get a load of money for this one, let's grab a few other bones, put it all together, and then go, look at this new creature! And it's like, cue a load more cash comes flying in and everything else. Well, regardless of any of that, the fire-breathing, when people want to dismiss that, well, there are still creatures that do similar things. What about the Bombardier beetle? You ever heard of the Bombardier beetle? It can, it can fire steam and chemicals, and it kind of, I think it comes out of, like, its rear end. It is a very effective weapon, it seems, but apparently one of its glands heats up to a hundred degrees, so it heats up to boiling point, one of its glands, to be able to fire this hot steam and chemicals out of its backside. But, I mean, oh yeah, I don't know about fire-breathing dragons, like, why not? If you kind of, like, because, just because it's, like, in the make-believe movies and stuff that you just see, oh, this is a bit far-fetched, it's some pretty amazing stuff out there. I'll just think about Venus fly traps, the other time, they're just amazing, aren't they? Plants that, like, basically eat flies, just like, there's just so much cool stuff out there, isn't there? Bombardier beetle is a pretty cool creation, isn't it? Oh, it just evolved. Where are the rest of them? Because you know what, I think we would all be quite handy if we had some Bombardier beetle skills as well, wouldn't we? But only evolved with the beetle, right? No, it was created with that beetle, right, and same as there are dragons that were created according to God through the Book of Job here, which could breathe fire. And I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy that these creatures are extinct. Yeah, I don't know, maybe you guys fancy your chances. Maybe you've got a couple of wannabe, wannabe St. George's here, but I don't know. It's quite handy these creatures don't seem to be around anymore, but it says here in verse 22, in his neck, back in Job 41, it said, Basically, they're just like nothing to him. He just smashed through them. So basically, he heats it up where he is and he leaves a trail. Upon earth there is not his like who is made without fear. That's a pretty awesome creature, isn't it? A terrifying creature. And although this particular creature doesn't seem to be around anymore, he symbolizes someone who is. Okay, so he symbolizes Satan the devil. That's who he is, a symbol of Leviathan. It said in verse 34, He beholdeth all high things. He is a king over all the children of pride. Now, keep a finger here and turn to Revelation 20. So keep a finger in Job and turn to Revelation 20, where we see the devil being called the dragon. Here God said in Job 41, 34, He beholdeth all high things. He is a king over all the children of pride. And the children of pride being children of the devil, sons of Belial, some of the many names for them. They're known as the proud, the works of iniquity, etc. And pride being a defining feature of the devil and his children. Okay, Revelation 20 says this in verse 1, Revelation 20 verse 1 says, And I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand, and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season. So with that in mind, with that in mind that he's clearly picturing the devil, it's a name for the devil, that old dragon, that serpent, let's remind ourselves of some of the characteristics then of the dragon. So keep a finger here in Revelation 20, we'll put something in there, we will be coming back, but Job 41, back in Job 41 verse 2 said that you're not going to control him, he controls you basically. Verses 3 to 4 said that he won't serve you. Verse 5 said that you won't tame him. Verses 6 to 8 that you can't destroy him. Verses 9 to 10 that he's fierce and people fall down before him. And he goes on to show us how fierce, how tough, how impregnable his armour is, but verse 32 says that there is a path after him. There is a path that would basically lead to him, wouldn't it? If it goes after him, and if you're aware of him, you can see his path. And we should want to avoid this path, shouldn't we? Something we want to avoid, the path to Leviathan, the path to the devil. His path is what? Things like false religions, false ways, the temptations of sin in its various ways, paths to him, the things which so easily pull us out of serving God, the distractions, the division causing, the slander, the demoralising. It's all paths basically to him and to doing things that he would want us to do. Verse 32 said he makes the path to shine after him. One would think the deep to be hoary. And that would be white like the white or grey head of the old, for example. Or perhaps he makes his way seem like the way of old, maybe. There's that as well. Verse 33. Upon earth there is not his like who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things, he is a king over the children of pride. So we can't defeat him. He's a scary foe. And definitely just by the way, because I got asked a question this recently, some unsaved deliverer has no power over this foe. Some clown who's not even saved doesn't have power over devils and everything else. All they'll do is maybe, with the devil agreeing, come out and just garnish and sweep that room and get it ready for a load more devils, more powerful and more wicked than the first one to come in. No, they don't have power over the devil. This is a formidable foe, isn't it? He is a formidable foe. This is a scary foe. It's not like he's described as a dragon and a leviathan, but really he's like, you know, just kind of no worry for us at all. No, because he's so formidable. Isaiah 27-1 said, in that day, though, in that day the Lord with his strong sword shall punish leviathan, the piercing serpent, even leviathan, that crooked serpent. He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. So he's a piercing serpent, he's a crooked serpent. Okay, and you can think of a few ways we could apply that, couldn't we? And wow, you know, he does damage people. He is piercing, he is crooked, right? You know, whatever way you want to see that, but his path is crooked, isn't it? But that day or that time, that period that Isaiah has been wholly preaching of now, okay, and we saw that in the last chapter, will be when Satan receives his punishment. How will he be punished? How will Satan, his antichrists and false prophets and army be slain? Well, it said here, in that day, the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan, the piercing serpent. Even leviathan, that crooked serpent, he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. So let's look at this sore and great and strong sword back in Revelation 19. Now, if you go back to Revelation chapter 19 now rather than chapter 20, this sore and great and strong sword that he's going to punish that serpent, that dragon with, said in verse 11 of Revelation 19 and verse 11, I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were, and this is at the end of the wrath now, of God's wrath, his eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no man knew but he himself and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the word of God, that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, that's us, and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword. That with it he should smite the nations, he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God, that ye may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of captains and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horse and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men. Both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and that's the Antichrist, and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army, and the beast was taken. And with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone, and the remnant was slain with the sword of him, that's that sword that sat upon the horse, that's the Lord, with which sword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. So it's a word of God that destroys Satan's army and is what results in Satan being cast into hell. As you see, as you go over the page and onto Revelation 20 and verse 1, it says, And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and the chainless hand, and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and that's hell, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season. Now, still keep something in Revelation, but back in verse 1, therefore, with all that in mind, of Isaiah 27, it said, In that day, talking about that time period to come, the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan, the piercing serpent, even Leviathan the crooked serpent, he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. And we have access to that sore and great and strong sword. Okay? No, we can't slay the dragon himself. It's the only one, you know, you get these kind of preachers that are like, I'm going to fight with the devil today. It's like, no, we're not going to slay him. But it is our only effective weapon against him, really. Okay? Turn to Ephesians 6. We need that sword to be able to stand against him, to be able to survive against him. He's a formidable foe. Like that Leviathan of old, he's a spiritual Leviathan, and he wants you to fall at his feet. Okay? Whether crippled by fear or addicted to some sin that you're desperate for more, or to appease the flesh in one way or another, okay? In your own strength, you can't take on that dragon. You can't do it yourself. He's too powerful. That's why Ephesians chapter 6 says this in verse 10. Ephesians 6, 10 says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. That's the only way we're going to be able to stand against the devil is by being strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. You can't do it yourself. However tough you think you might be, however strong you might be, however smart you might think you are, however wise, whatever else, it has to be in the Lord. And how are we strong in the Lord and in the power of his might? Verse 11, by putting on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. So we need it all just to be able to stand, just to keep standing, just to keep basically being here, working for God, to keep soul winning, to keep in the things of God, to keep being in the fight. You need this. You need the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. It's a spiritual fight we're in. It's not a physical fight, it's a spiritual fight. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand an evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and if thy word is truth, that's being surrounded, immersed, surrounded by truth, by the word of God, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And that's trying to live right, trying to live righteously for the Lord so that we're able to defend against all the attacks of the devil, all the slaughter, he daily accuses the brethren, doesn't he? Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That's having your feet protected by basically being prepared and ready and willing and going out and preaching the gospel. Above all, taking the shield of faith, that's that strong faith in the things of God, in the word of God ultimately, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, it's that faith that gets us through all those fiery darts, all those attacks, take the helmet of salvation, and I think that's the hope of salvation, that's basically just keeping that on your head, that knowing I'm saved, I'm saved, I'm all right, I'm going to get through this, it doesn't really matter, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And that's our offensive weapon. That is the only offensive weapon you have against the devil, it is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication, don't forget the prayer in the Spirit, and watching there too with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, and if we're fighting such a formidable foe, we need to be praying for each other, don't we? We need to be praying for each other, not just on a Wednesday night, and a Wednesday night's a good time to be praying for each other, isn't it? You know, and the sad truth is, and I don't want to be out of turn with this because I know some people just can't make it, but if you can, if you can get it, if you can find a way, you know, part of it is, and we have to put it on private because we have a lot of freaks and weirdos that stalk us and, you know, want to find out every bit of information, private info on people in our church, you know, and so we put the prayers on private, but really, and I know if you're on the group chat you can pray for it quietly during that, but there's something about us all here just praying those prayers, isn't there? Praying them in your head while I'm praying them from behind this pulpit, and we need, because we need the prayers, don't we? We need it more than just a Wednesday, don't we? But if you're able to make it on a Wednesday, look, we all need your prayers, we all covet your prayers, right? But also, the rest of the time, we pray for each other because it's a hard battle sometimes, isn't it? It's tough. And that's one of the ways that we fight it, is praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching down too with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. But how we fight back as well is with that sword, with the Word of God, and you need to know the Word of God to be able to fight with it. You can't defend all that false doctrine, all those lies, all those little ways, he wants to demoralise, you turn your head through various ways, various means, some more subtle than others, if you don't really know the Word of God. If you don't read the Word of God, and you know what? You can't just know the Word of God and that's it. You've got to just keep it, it's such a big book, isn't it? You don't, if, you know, I don't know how often some people here read it through in a year or not, right? But even once a year, it's a long time, isn't it? Before you read through some of them passages that you maybe really needed, right? Look, don't get me wrong, I think if you're faithfully serving and you're reading the Word of God, some of those things will just come, you'll just hear it preached, you'll hear something, often those things you need to hear will come about, but you need to be in it a lot, don't you, really? You need to be, the Word is just so important. And so much of that, that armour is really things which are really about the Word of God, isn't it? The righteousness comes from the Word of God, the loins going about with truth is the Word of God, the faith is really ultimately in the Word of God, the helmet of salvation is in the truth of the Gospel from the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. But the devil is a powerful foe, okay, like that dragon, but God has given us what we need to stand. It's here, it's all here, if you want to stand, if you want to survive the fight, you want to survive the battle, it's all here, he's given it to you, but it's your choice, right? Said in verse 1 of Isaiah 27, In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent. Even Leviathan that crooked serpent, he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. In that day sing ye unto her a vineyard of red wine. So the her is, I think, that picture of the Lord's beloved that we've seen before in Isaiah with the vineyard being Jerusalem, where he will rule and reign from. He said, I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. So the lamb will be under his protection during that thousand year reign, basically. He said, Fury is not in me, who would set the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Now, briars and thorns is a term also used for God's enemies, the children of the devil. For example, Ezekiel was told of the enemies in Ezekiel 2.6, where he's told by God, And now, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words. Though briars and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions, another name for them, be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Well, here he said, Fury is not in me, who would set the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. So he's saying that it will be a time of peace, and it's a sort of rhetorical question, okay? I think he's saying, look, no one dares do that, really. Until who? Who is it who does that? Satan. Satan is the one that does dare do that, who's loosed at the end of the millennial reign for that reason, to set the briars and thorns against him. Back in Revelation in chapter 20, and just quickly, and hopefully you kept a place there, it said in verse 7, And when the thousand years are expired, Revelation 27, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. So these people still, right, at the end of that thousand year reign, the amount of them is like the sand of the sea, that are gathered together by Satan to battle against the Lord, and his anointed, his people, his saints, and they went up on the breadth of the earth, encompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city, that's Jerusalem, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. It's not too much of a battle. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beasts and fools profit. I shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. So, point being that that will happen, right, so those briars and thorns will eventually, it'll be the devil that does that, but I think for the rest of that time it needs Satan to be loose for a season, for that to actually happen. Because at the rest of the time, with the ruling reign from Jerusalem, those that are rejected, those wicked in the millennial reign, I think they're not going to be able to do much, right, it's going to be a pretty great time. Verse 4 says, Fury is not in me. Who would set the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. So that's those that choose rebellion to follow Satan. But then there's an alternative. The alternative is, verse 5 all, Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. So that's the alternative for people living in that time, is to take hold of God's strength to make peace with him. And that's salvation, isn't it? Okay, peace with God through faith in Christ. The inhabitants of the world will still have that choice to make. In a millennial reign, they will have that choice to make. They'll have the choice, in their offspring, in their offspring, in their offspring, over that thousand years, to either make peace with God through faith in Christ. Still, there's only ever been one way of salvation, only ever will be one way of salvation. It's either make peace with him or to reject him. He said in verse 6, He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root. Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. So, just by the way, that's not a load of weirdly dressed people with long curly sideburns, etc. That's a remnant which is by faith, that's the saved. Us and all other believers spread across the world. He said, He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root. Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. Well, you don't have to turn there, but Galatians 3.29 says, And if ye be Christ's, then I ye Abraham's seed, and theirs according to the promise. So if ye are saved, you are Abraham's seed, you are of Jacob, you are Israel. And I was thinking about this as well. He said, He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root. Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. And I don't know if you've ever thought about this. You might have thought, well, you know, there's going to be a lot of people, aren't there, ruling and reigning in millennial reign. Well, there's currently 8 billion people in the earth, right? And there are vast areas of the earth that are uninhabited, aren't there? Yeah? And I don't know how many people have been saved throughout history, but the world is a big place. Now, that overpopulation myth is just that. It's a complete myth. It's complete nonsense. Yeah, there's vast areas. There's just so many areas of the world which just have no one on them, but they're areas which you could live from. You could, you know, they're fertile ground and things. Fertile land. I was looking at a stat of this once, but, I mean, the land in the world, at least in this nation I was looking at, is owned by a very, very small percentage of people. Even in this tiny little island, by contrast to many nations in the world, you drive in a lot of different directions. Suddenly you're just driving through fields. There's not really much going on in a lot of them, is there? You know, and yeah, there's some rich landowners, you know, using them for farms and things like that. There's a huge world to be populated. And he said here that Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit. And I think that is talking about during the millennial reign. So, but, as before, you know, like I've said a few times, there is an initial fulfilment, okay? With the Babylonians eventually destroyed, followed by the Medo-Persian reign, and God's people scattered and eventually massively empowered throughout the region, if you remember, during Esther. We looked at this recently during, we see it in the Book of Esther, and we see that from around Esther 9 it is, we obviously see when they have Purim. And there is, I think, an initial fulfilment there, okay? There is, I think, an initial fulfilment there, okay? With Israel blossoming, filling the face of the world. They're all over and they get empowered, you know, at the end of Esther, don't they? But this is a bit of a gear change now, okay? I think for verse 7. It says this in verse 7 of Isaiah 27. Have he smitten him as he smote those that smote him? Or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him? So who is he talking about here? He said, have he smitten him as he smote those that smote him? Or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him? It's almost a bit of a tongue twister, right? And it is on the back of him talking about them coming of Jacob, of Israel, but who is it talking about being smitten, who is it being smitten by? Well, flick over to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, because I believe that this is a prophecy of Christ here. So Isaiah 53 and verse 4. We've just seen here, he said, have he smitten him as he smote those that smote him? Or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him? Which I think he's talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. He says here in Isaiah 53, 4, Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Talking about God smiting his Christ, right? Here in verse 7, the answer would be yes, right? We're going to still look at Isaiah 53. The Lord was counted among the transgressors, he made his grave with the wicked. He was smitten as he smote those that smote him. He was slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him. Isaiah 53, 10 says, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Now keep a finger here, still, but back in Isaiah 27, it said in verse 8 then, In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it, he steth his rough wind in the day of the east wind. So he's debating with the, well he's preaching to the nation still here, isn't he? He said, when it shooteth forth. Well what's it talking about? Well Isaiah 53, 2 talks about the Christ where it says, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground, shooting forth. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. So basically they, yeah, they debated with him, they argued, they questioned, they rejected. When it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it. But Christ, I think, as that east wind, something that, by the way, called Jonah as a sunbeat down on his head, prevented that rough wind from destroying them. Because that's ultimately the only way that they weren't destroyed, is by faith in Christ, verse 9 says, By this therefore, in Isaiah, back in Isaiah 27, By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged. And this is all the fruit to take away his sin, when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up. It's a bit cryptic, but that's the only way that their iniquity was to be purged, wasn't it? He said, By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged. And this is all the fruit to take away his sin. Their sin taken away by what? By Christ's atonement. By Christ's death, burial and resurrection. And what did that do? It destroyed the altar, the groves, the images, through his truth. It got destroyed by the truth of the Lord, okay? At least, you know, for those that then got saved. So I think that was there, that was a picture of Christ there, just put in there of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, is what I believe with those verses there. It says in there in verse 10, Yet the defence city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness. There shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down and consume the branches thereof. So this happens soon after Christ's return with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 17. I think that's what it's talking about here. The defence city shall be desolate. Okay, after this point it's talking about, which it's been, you know, I think still after the point of Christ's return, and the habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness. There shall the calf feed, there shall he lie down and consume the branches thereof. He said, When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off. The women come, set them on fire, for it is a people of no understanding. Therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will show them no favour. So the boughs are those rejecting Jews, basically, that have withered, destroyed along with Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus, which is what happened in AD 17. The picture being withered, dead vines, the remainder of that physical nation, which had no understanding. These were like those remaining there, the physical nation with no understanding. Remember the knowledge of the Holy is understanding. These are those that had rejected Christ, basically. And by AD 17, it was too late. The place got destroyed. He says, When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off. The women come and set them on fire. That's that picture of what they would do with these vines and things. For it is a people of no understanding. Therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them. He that formed them will show them no favour. So no mercy, no favour. The physical nation was replaced by a spiritual nation. Okay, done. The kingdom of heaven was taken away from them. It was taken away from them, given to a nation bearing the fruits thereof. With the next event, then, on the prophetic calendar being what? After that point, after AD 70, well, verse 12, I think it's the second coming of Christ. It says, And it shall come to pass in that day. So we're back in that day now that we've been talking about. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. That's the children of promise, the saved gathered from the world. Verse 13, It shall come to pass in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. So ready to perish in the tribulation, outcasts of the world gathered together to be forever with the Lord. And again, he's just bringing it back to that. When that comes, on the back of that tribulation, they're ready to perish. They're outcasts and, you know, right now you feel like outcasts in the land of Egypt. In fact, if you don't feel like an outcast in the land of Egypt, then you're probably not right with God. And you don't have to be depressed about it. It's not just such an outcast. But ultimately we are, aren't we? We're outcasts. And especially at that time, they're going to be ready to perish. Yeah, ready to perish. Yeah, they're outcasts. And, however, they will worship the Lord in the holy mount of Jerusalem. And that is, again, just another picture of what's to come in the future. That's what's coming next. That's what I believe those were, fairly complicated verses are saying. But, yeah, interested in if anyone's got any different opinions or views on that after the service. But on that, we're going to finish in a word of prayer. Father, thank you for your word, Lord. Thank you for, you know, just the many reminders you're giving us in the Book of Isaiah about what's to come, Lord, about the millennial reign, about the glory of the millennial reign, about the truths that surround that. Yeah, there's going to be some hard times. Yeah, we go through some hard times in life, Lord, and whether we, you know, we live to that day or we don't, Lord, you know, if we're living in Christ Jesus, we shall suffer persecution, Lord. That is a Christian life. However, you know, we don't have to worry about it, Lord. You help us through that. Yeah, we fight a great and powerful foe in the dragon. However, you give us what we need to be able to stand in the evil day. And it's through strength that you give us, Lord. It's through the word of God. Help us to appreciate that, Lord, to want to be in the word of God. And for those that maybe, you know, maybe find it hard, that are kind of maybe newer to reading through their Bibles regularly and studying and learning from the word of God to just understand that with some discipline, we just keep keeping going, just keep reading through that. We just learn and grow every time we read through the Bible, Lord, every time we're listening to it being preached, every time we're we're we're dwelling on verses of the Bible. We're just growing, Lord. We're just learning. We're just we're we're, you know, learning how to wield that sword more and more, Lord. Help us to just keep doing that, Lord. Help us to all just keep growing as a church. Help us to keep strengthening as a church, Lord. Please protect us as we go about our week. Help us get home safe and sound and to return on Sunday for the Sunday services. In Jesus' name we pray all of this. Amen.