For the last few days I have been reading my Bible for words of comfort rather than for insight into God’s prophecies. Many of you know about Christians preparing to protect their lives from the imminent chaos coming. Many preach that we should have guns, stores of food, “bug-out” places prepared, and even night goggles so that we can see our enemies. And, of course, they often preach that we should pray and fast that God will be with us and protect us in these difficult times. But brothers and sisters we cannot have it both ways. Either we depend upon God as our refuge and our protection or we depend upon ourselves, upon our own preparations.
So, for comfort, yesterday I read Psalms 11 through 16 and today I read Psalms 17 and 18. The last series of articles I wrote concerning the Mountains of Israel began with a revelation God gave me from Psalm 11. That psalm begins by saying, “In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, `Flee like a bird to your mountain?'” Satan’s goal is to trick us into fleeing to his mountain, to the mountain of preparation in the flesh. But we do not war against the flesh. We war “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Our only hope to prevail against these rulers, authorities, powers, and spiritual forces is to depend upon God as our refuge, our protection. God never counsels us to prepare in our flesh for our controversy with Satan. Instead he gives us the following example:
8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. (2 Kings 68-18 ESV)
The king of Syria is embodiment of the Assyrian of Scripture, the representation of Satan on earth. I believe the term “the Assyrian” represents the spirit of antichrist on earth and that the term “Babylon” refers to the physical or tangible kingdom of Satan, or the antichrist, that we see ruling the world today. This is the spirit which now threatens to destroy all God’s people in the world. We have seen him do this many ways over the last century. We see him blatantly kill Christians through his people known as ISIS or ISIL today. Certainly we live in a day which could bring us great fear but for our faith in Christ.
Lately I have told my wife that I am ready to take up my sword to battle and defeat the enemy. I do not speak of a physical sword or physical enemy. I speak of the sword of the Spirit. I do not plan to live (or die) with another man’s blood on my hands. I am waiting to here the trumpet, a spiritual sound, that I expect will come just before my mortal body puts on immortality. At that time I will be changed in an instant, my hands will already be grasping my sword and my shield, and I will be running to attack and destroy the wickedness that rules in high places. My faithful dog, Bear, will also be glorified, at my side, and chasing the demonic hounds of heaven.
Anyway, today I came to Psalm 18 and I said to myself, “I never like to read Psalm 18.” But, this time when I read the psalm I loved it! Why? It just always seemed so irrelevant, probably because I saw no real enemies who wanted to actually kill me. Today I know that many such enemies exist. Today I believe the spiritual fulfillment of Psalm 18 is at hand. An old Christian friend of mine, now deceased, used to call me “little David.” As I read Psalm 18 today I saw myself as David, David the King who had just conquered his spiritual enemies within the refuge of his LORD. Here is Psalm 18.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
18 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;[a]
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[b]
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules[c] were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;[d]
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,[e]
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.
46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.
49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.
AMEN!
