Please open your Bibles. We are going to look today into the prophet Nahum. Nahum in English, Nahum in Hebrew. In chapter 2, we are going to speak today about the second chapter of the prophet Nahum. Very interesting chapter that deals with the destruction of the city of Nineveh. That city was the capital city of Assyria that have lived in such a way that God have already, through the prophet Nachum, have declared the destruction and the fall of the city of Nineveh. And we learn here something that is very important, I believe, is that God's word will always come to pass even though men seem to think that God is saying certain things in his word in the scripture but it's really not going to come to pass and what we learn here from these verses beloved brothers and sisters in the second chapter of the prophet Nachum that definitely God's word will surely come to pass so let's turn to the second chapter please and let me read those 13 verses of that second chapter.

I begin to read from verse 1. He that dashes in pieces is come up before thy face. Keep the stronghold. Watch the way. Make thy loyens strong. Fortify thy power mightily. For the Lord has turned away the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel. For the emptiers have emptied them out and marred their vine branches. The shield of his mighty men is made red. The valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots shall rage in the streets. They shall jastle one against another in the broad ways.

They shall seem like torches. They shall run like lightning. He shall recount his worthies. They shall stumble in their walk. They shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be prepared. The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved, and Gutzav shall be led away captive. She shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabbering upon their breasts. But Nineveh is of old, like a pool of water. Yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry, but none shall look back. Take ye the spoil of silver and take the spoil of gold for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture she is empty and void and waste and the heart melteth and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loyens, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions? Where the lion, Even the old lion walked, and the lion whelped, and none made them afraid. The lion did tear in pieces, enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lioness, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravine. Behold, I am against thee, says the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lion, and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard. reading such a chapter as Nahum chapter 2 makes one wonder what does the Spirit of God tell us here when he gave us such a chapter as this you know it seemed to be beloved brothers and sisters that we have here some information that unless we understood the context and whom does the Spirit of God speaking about we would never know what is the real message here that we have from the prophet Nahum concerning the city of Nineveh.

Now, you remember, and I'm just going to put here a connection with the previous message that we had together. You remember in the previous message in chapter 1, we were talking of the fact that Nahum received the burden, the Massah, concerning the nation of the Assyrian and the city of Nineveh. The city of Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian, who were a nation that devoured many countries, many nations around the then known world, and including the nation of Israel, the people of Israel, the northern tribes. It was the Assyrian who carried captive our own nation Israel at a time where the Lord had allowed them to be taken captive by them.

It was the Assyrian who was a wicked country that, if you remember in our studies before, God sent Jonah to preach against the Ninevites, and the people of Nineveh repented and ended up confessing before the Lord, and the Lord forgave their sins, and he did not judge the city of Nineveh. He did not judge them. Now, it didn't take too long, about 150 years later, that the people of Nineveh went back into their old lifestyle. Idolatry, corruption, fornication, all kind of sins that they have lived. They were an evil nation that devoured many nations around them. And God said to them that he is a God of vengeance, and he is going to deal with the Assyrian in a certain time.

And so Nahum received that message from the Lord, and he was carrying this message now. And chapter 1, the previous chapter that we have covered in our last meeting together, there was the prediction of the destruction of the city of Nineveh. And here, if you remember the last verse of chapter 1, we read this beautiful verse.

verse 15 behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bring good tidings that publish shalom or judah keep thy solemn feasts perform thy vows for the wicked shall no more pass through thee he is utterly cut off the last verse of chapter one is actually in the masoretic text in the hebrew text is really the first verse of our chapter here chapter 2 and so this was the call to the people of judah this is the southern tribe god is saying look how beautiful the feet of him that bring glad tidings to judah there was a glad tidings to judah why because what have happened to Israel by the Assyrian is not going to

happen to the people of Judah because right now God had promised the tribe of Judah and Benjamin in the south that he's going to preserve them and he's going to publish peace and they're going to be preserved because the Assyrian have caused a lot of fear for the people of Judah and they were right at the gate if you will at the door seeking to take over the nation the people of judah as well and god had promised judah that they will be preserved and you notice he's quoting by the way isaiah chapter 52 and verse 7 behold upon the mountains are the feet of him that bring glad tidings while isaiah spoke about this

concerning the future the coming of the messiah nahum was quoting isaiah and also the apostle paul quoted nahum and isaiah in romans chapter 10 where we have just read how beautiful are the feet of him that bring glad tidings and publishing peace and that is the message that judah had received from the Lord at that time before the destruction of the city of Nineveh in 612 BC.

So for us just to see this brothers and sisters there is good news to those who submit to the word of God but there is judgment for those who refuse to accept the word of God and to repent and to turn to him. And so now in the second chapter that we have before us today, it is really devoted totally to the description of the fall of the city of Nineveh.

Last week I mentioned that Nineveh was a huge city, a huge wall that some mentioned from history was a very thick wall in the bottom about 50 feet wide at the top about 15 feet wide at the top a very high wall and it was a very fortified city no one could ever enter and take over that city humanly speaking it was impossible and Nineveh prided itself with the power that they had with the fact that they were protected because of the huge wall and big gates and and towers all around the city of Nineveh no one can ever take over that city of Nineveh but God had predicted that and God had said to

Nahum you speak against Nineveh and I have an indignation against that city and I would like to just suggest beloved brothers and sisters anyone today who would refuse to submit to the word of God will ultimately have to receive upon himself the judgment of the living God because God is holy and just and he must judge sin he is the one that his anger against sin going to get to its point in which he will have to judge sin his fury is poured out like fire as we have in chapter 1 and verse 6 against the city of Nineveh so here in chapter 2 we have a description of the fall of the city of

Nineveh which began with the coming of the destroyer You know, Nachum already prophesied more than 50 years before the destruction of Nineveh.

He was prophesying on what's going to happen to that city. And look at the description here, brothers and sisters. First of all, there is a call to be ready. That call in verse 1 to be ready is in a sense like in mockery. Because they trusted in themselves. And look what he's saying to them in verse 1. He that dashes in pieces, this is the Babylonian, is come up before thy face. Keep the stronghold, watch the way, make thy loyons strong, fortify thy power mightily.

the lord in a sense through the prophet nachom is telling to the city of nineveh the destroyer the one that is dashing in pieces is coming before you very soon and you trust yourself and you think that you are going to preserve yourself from the one that is coming that is called the one that dashes in pieces this is a statement about the babylonian because the babylonian at that time were known to be as the bible say as the one that is called in the scripture as the hammering of all the nations this is the babylonian if you for a moment there is a verse in the book of jeremiah chapter 50 and verse 23

that this was known in the world about the Babylonian and verse 23 it says how is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations Jeremiah was prophesying about Babylon destruction later on but right now Babylon was known to be as the hammer of all the earth and therefore brothers and sisters God is saying to the city of Nineveh says listen Nineveh the one that dashes in pieces is come up before thy face and you better be ready if you trust yourself like you have been for many years if you rebel against my ways and you trust in your own idols and your own gods

you better be ready he's saying to them keep your stronghold watch your way make thy loyans strong and fortify thy power mightily in other words he's saying in mockery to the people of Nineveh he says you trust yourself listen the hammer of all the earth is coming before your face he's the one that dashing in pieces he's approaching you you better get ready and keep the stronghold on your fort and watch your way and make your loin strong get yourself ready fortify the power of thine mightily and what the lord is really saying to Nineveh you will see that the one that is going to deal with you is approaching now remember beloved brothers and

sisters Nahum was prophesying much earlier before the destruction of Nineveh in 612 BC.

So it is a prediction that God was prophesying concerning the coming destroyer of the city of Nineveh. And so he's approaching them and he tells them, get ready, watch the city, watch yourself and get ready. But you know, the Bible tells us in Psalm 127, You remember that verse? In Psalm 127, I'll read this verse. Except the Lord build a house, they that labor, labor in vain. Except the Lord keep a city, the watchman worketh but in vain. The city will not stand.

you see they could not watch over their own city on their own because god have declared the destruction of this city of nineveh and therefore when he tell them keep the stronghold watch the way make your loyans strong fortify thy power mightily it was said in mockery it was saying you know you will not be able to do it on your own because I declare a judgment on you the city of Nineveh because of your sin and corruption that you allowed in your life and so now in the second verse of our chapter we are in Nachum chapter 2 and verse 2 he is promising that he's going to restore the excellency of the nation

of Israel remember Israel the people of God were at that time divided the northern tribes were taken away the southern tribes of Judah was in fear because of what the Assyrians were going to do to them and here he make a promise to Judah and he said to them in verse 2 for the lord has turned away the word turn away come from the hebrew word shove or restore the lord restored the excellency of jacob as the excellency of israel for the emptiers have emptied them out and they marred their vine branches what assyria did to israel they have emptied them you know it's like a thief that is going into a house and he's

robbing a house and he's emptying everything that this house had and he's leaving it empty and desolate That's what the Assyrians did to the northern tribes of Israel.

They've emptied the nation of Israel. They have caused them, as it says, they marred their vine branches with the vine speaks of the grapes, which fruit that come out of growing vine among the people of Israel. And when the Assyrians took the northern tribes captive, they literally destroyed everything. They have emptied the people of Israel. And the Lord says, no. He says, listen, Judah, and he's really speaking. Notice he used the word Jacob and he used the word Israel. And he says, the Lord has turned away the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel. In other words, in verse 2 he's saying that he's going to restore the excellency of Israel.

Of course, it will be for a season because later on the tribes of Judah and Benjamin will also violate the word of God. And he's going to send the Babylonian to take them down to Babylon. But right now he's talking about the city of Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. and he's saying listen those that have emptied the people of Israel will now stop doing that because I am going to restore the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel and he's moving on in verse 3 and he's talking about the armor of the destroyer look at that in verse 3 he's saying about the armor you know when you go for a war when you go to fight you know you hear today of various ammunitions that various countries have whether it is airplanes and ships and guns and all kind of bombs and so on but in olden time he's speaking about the armor that the people of assyria have and also the people of babylon and media who are going to come against them and he's speaking in verse 3 about the armor of the one that is going to come to destroy assyria this is the medes and the babylonian he says the shield of his mighty men is made red the valiant men or in other words the soldiers are in scarlet that speaks of the effect that the army that is going to come against the assyrian going to be an army that have already experience bloodshed.

Notice the color is mentioned. The shield of the armed men is made red. Well, why would you have a red? Some suggest that they kept the red color, but also it speaks of blood, of the wars that have already occurred. And then it says the soldiers, the valiant men are in scarlet the chariot shall be with the flaming torches in the day of his preparation and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken in other words Assyria who was so powerful now is going to experience what they have done to many nations around them now they are going to experience the consequences of their sin where there will be the mighty men the destroyer the Babylonian and the Medes are going to come ready to destroy the city of Nineveh he's mentioning shield he's mentioning here valiant men he's mentioning chariots he's mentioning here spears You notice that this is the ammunition that the Babylonian will have in order to destroy the city of Nineveh.

Notice that in verse 4, he continues and he's approaching, he's speaking about the approaching of the destroyer right to the gates and to the streets of the city of Nineveh. in verse 4 he said that the chariot shall rage in the streets that word for streets is the Hebrew word chutzot it's just outside of the city just in the streets on the outskirts of the city of Nineveh and then he said they shall jastle one against another in the broad way that word broadway mean the streets they shall seem like torches they shall run like the lightnings in other words they're going to be swift like lightning they're going to come very fast against the city of Nineveh they're going to begin at the streets they're going to end up to be just on the outskirts but they ultimately going to get into the city of Nineveh and I'm moving on just to show us that they're ultimately going to get to the wall of the city of Nineveh.

This is what we read in verse 5. He shall recount his worthies. They shall stumble in their walk. They shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be prepared. In other words, brothers and sisters, the approach of the Babylonians and the Medes towards the city of Nineveh going to be so fast that the soldiers will kind of stumble one over another just to get into the city of Nineveh. And to remind you that Nineveh was fortified city. Humanly speaking, you could not even get inside because it had towers and walls, high walls, and the gates that were huge gates, it was a protected city and you would not be able to get in.

But the Lord predicted the coming of the military of the Babylonian and the Medes and he described before us the destroyer that is coming towards the city of Nineveh.

Now when you read such a passage it's kind of dry you think it's dry because it's just talking about history and how things have happened but i can assure you that it teaches us first of all that god's word will surely come to pass when history look back at the prophecy of nachom and then later on it actually did happen you are amazed at how the word of god is so true that when he spoke something against the city it came to pass when he speaks something against what's going to happen to anyone who will trust in him it will surely come to pass heaven and earth will pass away but the word of the

lord will remain and will come true notice now and i'm moving on in that description of the coming or the destroyer to the city of nineveh in verse 6 now he's not only by the wall now he is inside and he's talking about the gates and the palace in verse 6 the dissolving of the gates and the dissolving of the palace in Nineveh it says in verse 6 the gates of the rivers shall be open and the palace shall be dissolved now this is interesting because history teaches us that even though there was about six miles of wall around the city of Nineveh and the Tigris river was not too far from there and apparently

at that season in that time apparently there was a lot of rain that came down and the Tigris river overflowed with water and the water continued to gush into the city of Nineveh, and what happened is that about two miles of the wall of the city of Nineveh began to, as it says here in verse 6, to dissolve.

It's a mixture of stones and sand that the wall was made of, and the water and the flood washed the city wall that there was a big opening that enabled the Medes and the Babylonian to enter into the city and so look what we read here that the gates of the rivers shall be open and the palace shall be dissolved what is the prediction here that there will in a supernatural way God is going to assist the Babylonian and the means to enter into the city of Nineveh by virtue of opening for them the walls and the gates by the flood from the Tigris River that came into the city of Nineveh.

If you remember we read already in chapter 1 if you just look in chapter 1 and verse 8 where we read but with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof that shows us that god is in control over everything you know he's in charge he can change the weather he can change the rivers he can open the red sea He can open the Jordan River. He can make everything possible for his own purposes to come to pass. And he can do so today, beloved brothers and sisters. He can change things around to enable this world to see who is really in control over this world.

so the gates of the rivers shall be opened and the palace shall be dissolved and you notice what it says in verse 7 there that is the queen of Nineveh she will ultimately be led away captive the queen of Nineveh it says in verse 7 and Hutzav shall be led away captive she shall be brought up And her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, a tabbering upon their breasts. That Hebrew word for the word Hutzav is simply come from the word to place there. You know, the queen of the Ninevites was really representing the goddess Eshtar. And when she was placed there, she was a representative of Eshtar.

She was simply an object of worship. And so that word Hutzav is the Hebrew word to place there. She was placed there, a representative of this goddess Eshtar, and she was worshipped. And this is idolatry that the Assyrians had in their midst, and even she will have to be taken away captive. As it says here in verse 7, and who tzav shall be led away captive she shall be brought up her maids shall lead her with the voice of doves hammering upon their breast these words with the voice of doves you know when doves when you have a hundred two hundred three hundred four hundred five hundred doves in one location and if you scare them all of a sudden all of their wings are together and you hear the noise of their wings shaking together and that's what is really going to happen that the queen of the Ninevites which represented a star she will be led away as captive as well and that's how the destruction of Nineveh will come to pass and why all these beloved brothers and sisters is because the Assyrians were proud, arrogant, sinful, rejecting the true and living God after a time that they've had a repentance when Jonah, the prophet of Israel, preached a message there.

They have turned back to godlessness and they end up to reject the God of Israel and they were corrupted. They have gone throughout the then known world and have caused harm and havoc among many nations and God says there is a coming destroyer that is going to come to destroy the city of Nineveh and what happened to Nineveh historically in 612 BC brothers and sisters when we think about what's going to happen to this world when God will take his place in righteousness here in this world that rejected the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. Revelation chapter 17, Revelation chapter 18 speaks about the destruction of the future Babylon, the economical, political, religious Babylon, where God is going to take his place in rejection and destruction of these nations of this world.

So the first seven verses, we have the coming destroyer. And now in the next few verses, verse 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, we have the actual fall itself. Here is a description and a display of the actual fall of Nineveh.

What a shame it is that teaches us that pride often will lead us to a fall it will teach us that rejection of God will ultimately bring judgment upon us and look at these next verses how the people of Nineveh now fleeing away now the time of judgment is coming and look at verse 8 first of all we see that the people of Nineveh fleeing now they are no longer pursuing after other people they are no longer doing harm and evil to other people now they find themselves in the same position what they've caused many other nations before look at this verse 8 but Nineveh this is the second time the word Nineveh is mentioned

in the book of Nahum it's mentioned once in each chapter in chapter 1 and verse 1 chapter 2 and verse 8 chapter 3 and verse 7 now you can see that the lord is speaking about the city of nineveh and he says in verse 8 but nineveh is of old like a pool of water the flood have washed away everything in the city become like a pool of water and then it says yet they shall flee away and then somebody will call them stand, notice this word stand, stand, in other words hold on, stand, don't run away they shall cry but none of them look back they're fearful of the armies of the Medes and

the armies of the Babylonians and their commanders and leaders you stand, stand against them, but they don't stand they can't stand They are so fearful that they end up not turning back, but running away and fleeing from the destroyer that come to destroy the city.

Now, in this we can see that once one can be so aggressive and powerful, and another time one can be so fearful and defeated, once a person can be priding himself, and I can do things, and treating others in an evil way, and another time when a day of judgment is coming, they are fleeing away.

they're afraid of the destroyer and so even if their commanders are telling them to stand on to hold on and don't run away to stand they don't even look back and they're just running away and they're fleeing and they don't even look back at all verse 9 look at the spoiling of the city of Nineveh see Nineveh the Assyrians spoiled many nations every nation they have gone they took their spoil they took their gold and their silver you remember what God said about Israel that they emptied Israel they emptied them totally didn't leave them with anything and now they are going to be spoiled themselves in verse 9 he says take ye the spoil of

silver take the spoil of gold for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture apparently the city of Nineveh was filled with gold and with silver and the wealth that was there and perhaps they look at that wealth every time and they remember oh you see this thing we took from this country and this silver we took from this country and this furniture we took from that nation oh i remember they may say how we destroyed those nations and how we treated their people but now the reverse is happening and now things are turning back against them why because god is coming in judgment god has to deal

with the enemies of his people so he's saying to the babylonian and the mead take the spoil of silver take the spoil of gold for there is no end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture in other words there's no end there was so much there because they have taken it from others they have destroyed nations and countries and people they harmed them and took everything that they have had and they end up filling their stores with everything their city and now the time coming for God to take this away from them so verse 9 Nineveh is being spoiled by the nation of Babylon and the Medes from all what they

have spoiled from other nations it is their turn to receive the judgment now notice in verse 10 he continues and he's speaking about the pain and the blackness that existed at that time when the judgment will come in the city of Nineveh look at that in verse 10 he says she's empty she's void she's waste and the heart melteth and the knees smite together and much pain is in all loyens and the faces of them all gather blackness.

You know when I read this verse I was thinking of the time when men who reject God today have to stand one day before the Lord. and he will have to give an account, and when God is going to judge them in such a way that men will shake in his knees, when men will, as it says, his face will gather blackness, when fear is going to come upon men. I know that sometimes we experience those kind of things in our lives when let's say when you are on a boat in the middle of the sea or where you are on a plane in the middle of the air and when there is all of a sudden there is that fear for your life all of a sudden all the power that you have is no longer there you begin to be afraid for your life and there's a change in our face it become dark and black and pale because there is a fear for our life in the tribulation period we read in revelation 6 7 and how people were so afraid from the coming judgment of god well that is what's going to happen to the city of nineveh in the time where God is going to bring upon them the invaders, the destroyers, Babylon and the Medes.

There are three words here, you notice in verse 10, the first one is empty, the second one is void, and the third one is waste. It's basically coming from a Hebrew word that is called Bukah. buka it's like building it's buka ume buka ume bulaka in the hebrew it's like building one step upon another empty and void and waste it is like a destruction of the destruction of the destruction that will fall upon the city of nineveh their heart melteth their knees smite together and much pain is in all their loins and their faces of them all gather together this expression here the knees are smiting together do you remember when in the book of daniel we read in chapter 5 and chapter 6 where there was a party in the kingdom and the king was taking of the mugs and the cups that belong to the house of the lord and having this party there until the hand the finger of god came out and said mene mene you remember he was writing on the wall and the king when he saw the writing on the wall his knees shook together and you know when your knees are shaking together that means that you're afraid when you are shivering and you're scared because God is going to have to deal with those that refuse to accept his word.

And here's what's going to happen to the city of Nineveh. There will be the shaking of the knees, the turning to paleness of their faces, and all the darkness that is going to happen in the time where the judgment is going to come upon that city. Well, let me continue now, and let me move on to conclude this chapter. It says in verse 11 right now, there is a question that was asked in verse 11 concerning the power of the people of Nineveh. It says in verse 11, where is the dwelling of the lions and the feeding place of the young lions? Well, the lion, even the old lion, walked in the lion's web, and none made them afraid.

He's asking, where are you now? You know, there were bullies in the past. They couldn't care else about somebody else in the past. But when the day of judgment coming, where are you? And that expression lions is mentioned here at least four or five times in verse 11. And apparently, the images of lions were all around the city of Nineveh. It was a symbol of their power. And you know very well, lion is the king of the forest and tares. And he's a powerful animal that is known in the scripture. And it was a representation of the power of Assyria. And now the time coming with the question, he says, where are the dwellings of the lions?

and the feeding places of the young lion where the old lions used to feed the young lion they used to do harm to many others and feed their younger one and take care of themselves where the lion even the old lion walked and the lion whelped and none made them afraid nobody could even move them a moment because they were so powerful no one made them afraid but where is it now? when the day of judgment comes where are you now? you know we're always strong in a time when everything is fine and dandy but when the day of judgment come we are no longer the same way like we used to be in the past and that's what happened with the people of assyria with the people of the city of nineveh where is the dwelling place of that lion mentioning here in verse 11 the symbol that symbolized the assyrian and the city of Nineveh.

In verse 12, look at that, he's saying about the Assyrian, in verse 12, he says, the lions did tear in pieces, enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lioness, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravine. You see, that's the way they used to do the people of Assyria the lion took care brought pieces enough for his whelps the lion struggled for his little ones filled his halls and pray in his dens but now he is no longer in the same condition because God sent judgment upon them and look at it brothers and sisters how the chapter is concluding with a statement that when God says this statement in his word there is no one that will ever will be able to stand it says in verse 13 behold I am against thee look at this statement behold Jehovah is saying I am against thee Nineveh there are 14 times in that Hebrew Bible in the tanakh where that word is mentioned behold i am against thee 14 times it mentions in the tanakh and every time that it is mentioned it shows us that when god is against someone no one will be able to resist god and god when he is against someone when he's against a nation when he's against a person when he's against a group of people if you will he will have to deal with this nation.

Nachumi quoting what God said to him behold I am against these says the Lord of hosts.

Turn for a second to Ezekiel chapter 38 in the first few verses of the prophet ezekiel chapter 38 and chapter 39 i want to read one verse in ezekiel 38 and one verse in ezekiel 39 in ezekiel 38 he's mentioning in verse 3 that he is against gog this is what is known to us we know at present day russia the far north it has to do with the future day when the far north is going to come against the people of israel the far north in the tribulation period and notice what it said in verse 3 thus says the lord god behold i am against thee o gog the chief prince of meshech and

tuval so god is saying i am against thee gog the chief prince of meshech and tuval look at chapter 39 and verse 1 therefore thou Solomon prophesy against Gog and say thus says the Lord God behold I am against thee O Gog the chief prince of Meshech and Tuval when God is against a nation God is only going to lead them bring them to the place where he's going to judge them and he's going to ultimately pour upon them the judgment that he's intending to pour upon them you know i was thinking in contrast god is being against a nation when i was preparing for this message i was thinking of the verses in romans

chapter 8 the exact opposite for those whom god is not against, that God is for.

You remember what Paul said in Romans chapter 8 and verse 31? Let me read that verse for a moment. It says, what shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? It is exactly the opposite of what God said to the city of Nineveh through the prophet Nachum. If God be for us, Shaul Paul is saying in Romans chapter 8 and verse 31, Who can be against us? Who shall separate us? It says here in the next verses, he says, He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is the Messiah that died.

rather he risen again verse 35 who shall separate us from the love of the messiah shall tribulation or distress or persecution of famine or nakedness or peril or sword in other words there is nothing that will separate us from the love of god because god is for the believer he's for the nation of israel he's for the body of messiah the body of christ but nineveh who rejected god the bible say to us behold i am against you and when he's against the city of nineveh there will be judgment that is going to come upon that city notice and i'm going to conclude with this verse and just make some application for this at the

end here look what he says in verse 13b notice four times the word end he's mentioning here and i will burn her chariots in a smoke number one number two and the sword shall devour thy young lions number three and i will cut off the prey from the earth and number four and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard he's building up when the judgment is going to come he says i will burn your chariot the sword shall devour your young ones i will cut off thy prey from the earth and the voice of messages shall be no more heard this is beloved brothers and sisters the destruction of the city of

Nineveh the destroyer will come this is the Babylonians and the Medes and the destruction itself is mentioned in verse 8 to verse 13 of the city of Nineveh now I want us just to make an application in this I know there's a lot of statements here that you and I can hardly understand.

We cannot grasp it. It is really a prophecy concerning the destruction of Nineveh, a city, a nation that went against the Lord. Now, I think that there is a great lesson for us to learn from this.

And there are a few points that I want just to mention here before I'm closing the meeting the first thing that i want to mention is that in assyria we see the pride that existing in each and every one of our own hearts and according to the bible in proverbs chapter 16 and verse 18 the king of israel solomon said that pride comes before a fall this teaches us a lesson if we can see in Assyria a picture of a nation a picture of a family a picture of an individual the lesson is here that pride of a nation will lead them ultimately to fall before the Lord and if we will make it individually

pride in your life in my life will ultimately lead us to fall it is essential for us to learn that we are to ask the lord for mercy and grace and not to have this old sinful desire of pride and elevating ourselves why because pride just come you watch it before a fall that's the first thing that we learn here secondly we learn here from this chapter that because Assyria and Nineveh lived a life of sin and corruption, because of this, according to the scriptures, the book of Numbers tells us this, in Numbers chapter 32 and verse 23, he said this to Israel, our people, and as might as well he can say to Assyria,

be sure your sins will find you out.

What he means by that is that if you're going to carry on with a life of rejecting God and following your own way, you be sure that sooner or later you are going to receive exactly for the way you have lived. Be sure your sins will find you up. This is what he said to our own nation, Israel, when Israel rebelled against God. He said to them through Moses, Israel, you will see what's going to happen. You're going to carry on in your sinful way. You will see it will find you out because ultimately you are going to receive due judgment for the way that you live.

Thirdly, in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 7, we learn again another thing that we learn concerning Assyria and the city of Nineveh. It's the principle of sowing and reaping. In Galatians chapter 6 and verse 7, the Apostle Paul said to the Galatians, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. You can see what happened here to the city of Nineveh. They sowed corruption. They sowed evil in the life of many nations around them. And in due time, they are going to reap it up. It's going to grow. It's going to come a time. They are going to exactly reap what they sowed. And you remember what Galatians said, If you sow unto the spirit, you reap unto the spirit.

If you're going to sow unto the flesh, you're going to reap unto the flesh. And you know, it is true. Because if we are going to learn from what happened to Assyria, they sowed an evil type of a life and a culture, and they're only going to end up to reap exactly what they have sown. This is a principle of sowing and reaping. Fourthly, another point to mention in connection with this, In Matthew chapter 7 and verse 12, Yeshua the Messiah said to his disciples, Whatsoever ye would that men will do unto you, do ye this unto them. For this is the law and the prophets. Here's another principle.

You know, we like people to treat us well. And if we like people to treat us well, we also need to make sure that we treat others in the right way. And this is the principle that Yeshua the Messiah taught his disciples at the Sermon on the Mount in the north of Israel, the mountain where he was giving them that sermon in the north of Israel. And he's saying to them, look, whatsoever you would like that men will do to you, disciples, you do unto the others. If we look at Assyria, we look at the city of Nineveh. Nineveh, you would have liked not to be treated now in judgment the way we read it in chapter 2, right?

Well, you should have treated others in the right way because then others would have treated you as well in the right way. Or at least you would deserve to be treated in the right way. But Assyria didn't. And sometimes, brothers and sisters, if we will just narrow it down to our own life, if we like to be treated well, well, we need to treat others in the right way as well. That's a principle. In fact, this is called in the Bible the golden rule. Fifthly, in Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 19, the king of Israel, Shlomo, Solomon said, It is better to be of an humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.

It is, again, a principle that is taught us in the Bible, you know, to divide a spoil that not belong to you with the proud. will only never satisfy the heart of men. It is far better, Solomon is saying, to be of a humble spirit with those that are lowly than to divide a spoil with those that are proud in themselves. And finally, the last thing that we learn from this chapter, that we can apply this to ourselves, James in chapter 4 and verse 10 says, Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. This is an important principle that we learn here.

The Assyrians were not humble at all. And then instead of God lifting them up, he had to destroy them. That's what God would do. God resists the proud and he gives grace unto the humble. God had to judge those that pride themselves, but he will give grace to those that are broken and humble before him and we need his grace for that beloved brothers and sisters and here there was a city that God says Nineveh I'm against you and he truly sent the Babylonians in a means to come to fall upon them and they fled away they've been destroyed they've been spoiled and ultimately Nineveh the city have been destroyed never to be rebuilt again they say that they found some that which was left from the city of Nineveh a few years ago and maybe there are some of the remain of the city of Nineveh but actually the city of Nineveh was not built again.

It was totally destroyed by the one who said, I am against thee. Thank God that we as believers in Yeshua the Messiah can say, if God be for us, who can be against us? Can you say amen to that? Amen.