Are You Sure That You Want God Yo Visit You?

Are You Sure That You Want God To Visit You?

What happens when God visits a people, church, or a nation?
Isaiah 2:10-22 gives us an idea of what to expect when He shows up in the midst of a wayward people.
Judah was fluctuating in their relationship with Him. One minute they were drawing nigh to Him; while another time, they were wandering from Him.
Things are no different today.
How does God deal with such a people?

The answer is called "The Day Of The Lord of hosts."

It is a time when God -
     ...brings His will to the surface where it is obvious to all
     ...punishes the wicked for their sins
     ...brings down the proud and lofty
     ...turns the attention of the people away from idols and places it entirely on Himself, using terrible judgments
        in order to do so

If God should be pleased to visit your home, church, ministry, or nation, what could you expect to happen? What would be the signs of His Coming?

Here are four of them as outlined by the Prophet Isaiah -

1. Man Is Reduced To Ashes

Isaiah 2:11-12, 17,22 - "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low...And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day...Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"

Without fail, whenever God shows up in the midst of a people, the very first thing He deals with is the Pride of Man. Man is instantly brought low, while the Lord Jesus is exalted and given His rightful place as LORD OF ALL!

2. All False Confidences Are Destroyed

Isaiah 2:13-16 - "And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures."

Here we have a poetic depiction, common in Hebrew writing, using objects of nature to represent spiritual and moral subjects.

The "cedars of Lebanon" symbolized both the leaders in government - princes, potentates, rulers, captains, rich men, politicians - as well as man's great building projects.
The "oaks of Bashan"(a center of pagan worship) stood for man's great religious ideas.
The "high mountains" and "high hills" were places of national defense and protection. Therefore, they represented the governments of kingdoms, republics, states, cities, and towns wherein man placed his confidence and trust.
The "high tower" was situated on the wall of a city as a place of observation, strength, defense, and protection for an army. The "fenced wall" was also an inaccessible defense used to denote national security and protection.
The "ships of Tarshish" stood for the world of commerce, merchandising, and moneymaking.
Tarshish was an important place of trade for commodities such as silver, iron, tin, and lead.
Every three years, these ships returned carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks - all products of India.
Hence, the "ships of Tarshish" could be said to represent foreign trade.
Lastly, the "pleasant pictures" stood for the entertainment world - the arts, music, fashion and design, etc.

Whenever and wherever God manifests His Awesome Power, all is shaken which -
     ...makes man feel safe and secure outside the Lord Jesus,
     ...is a source of human achievement,
     ...is luxurious, making him spiritually complacent, indifferent, dull, or dead toward the things of God

3. All Idolatry Is Eradicated

Isaiah 2:18,20 - "And the idols He shall utterly abolish...In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats."

God knows exactly how to get a man to release that which he is worshipping and trusting in before Him. He knows how to bring a man to despise that which he set his love upon at one time.

Whenever the Lord God Almighty gets through dealing with an idolater, this same man sees all of his idols as pure vanity. He is then willing to "cast" them aside as totally worthless and meaningless.

This idea is beautifully described by the Prophet Isaiah when he says - "In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold...to the moles and to the bats." Both of these creatures of the lowest order are found in dark places. The "mole" burrows under the ground, while the "bat" lives in old ruins, obscure and desolate places, caverns, and caves.

We can expect that when God shows up, that which was, at one time, so dear to man becomes worthless and vain. That which is so highly treasured - as silver and gold - loses its glitter and enamoring power.

4. Those Living In Sin Are Terrified

Isaiah 2:10,19,21 - "Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty..And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth..To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth."

Judea was a mountainous country, abounding with caverns of rocks. In times of great danger from enemy invasions, the people would flee to the mountains and hide in the caves which offered a safe retreat for them.

But, where, oh where, can man run to hide from the terror of the Lord?

His judgments in the land cause sinners to fear and cringe, because they realize that they are not in right standing with Him. His manifested Holiness reveals - like never before - their unholy and ungodly ways and mannerisms. They are brought face-to-face with the Light of His Glory which reveals every stain and blemish of their Sin. In other words, they become totally "naked" before all.

Are you praying for a Divine Visitation for your family, church, or nation?
Are you aware of what you are asking?

God will be Faithful to show up in answer to your call, but are you ready for everything to be shaken that can be shaken?

He will be exalted and have His way while man is brought low.
Every place of confidence and every idol will be removed from the hearts of the people.
Those who are not right with the Lord will be terrorized until they repent and get right with Him.

It may not always be a pleasant picture whenever God shows up, but oh, how we desperately need Him to do so - no matter what the cost!

We need a Visitation from the Lord.
We need Him to come down and bring order to our utter chaos.

May we begin to pray like never before that He will prepare us for that Great "Day."
May we all be found blameless before Him when He comes - having a holy boldness, placing all of our trust and confidence in Him, and having no idols in our hearts.

Connie

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