Here we are at the legacy of verse 5-6 of Revelation 17-18, but in 18 alone, which states this before we look at misery: "for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and GOD has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed." In our last blog we said that we would look at GOD's wrath as spoken of here, to do so we must first look at misery of sins delight. So here goes. But first, Keep in mind, the first portion is speaking to Israel as a rebellious, disrespectful and disobedient people. Then within each of the following we find despair, unrest, adversity, no peace, and dissatisfaction each of which we could look at more closely.
Sin the chief source of Misery,
Deuteronomy 28:67 of 58-68; Judges 2:15 of 11-15, 1Samuel 28:15 of 15-19 "If you are not careful to do all the words of this book of the Law, that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. And HE will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God. And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Moreover the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. And among these nations you shall find no respit (ease), and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, "If only it were evening!" and at evening you shall say, "If only it were morning!" because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer."
Judges 2:15 of 11-15; 1Samuel 28:15 of 15-19 "The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around about them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger. For they abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and HE gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And HE sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress."
1Samuel 28:15 of 15-19 "Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul answered, "I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and GOD has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do." And Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done to you as HE spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out His fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."
Job 15:20 of 17-35 (what Eliphaz knows of life) "I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare (what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them). The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him. He does not believe that he will return out of darkness, and he is marked for the sword. He wanders abroad for bread, saying, "Where is it?" He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand; distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him, like a king ready for battle. Because he has stretched out his hand against GOD and defies the Almighty, running stubbornly against Him with a thickly bossed shield; because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his waist and has lived in desolate cities, in houses that none should inhabit, which were ready to become heaps of ruins; he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth; he will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry up his shoots, and by the breath (words spoken) of his mouth he will depart. Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment. It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not be green. He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his blossom like the olive tree. For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of bribery. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil, and their womb prepares deceit."
Psalm 107:17 of 15-16, 17-22 "'Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! For HE shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.'
'Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they draw near to the gates of death. Only then will they cry to the LORD in their trouble, that HE would deliverer them from their distress. Then He will send out His word and heal them, and deliver them from their destruction. Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works in the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!'"
Proverbs 13:15 of 9-19 "The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing. Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools."
Romans 2:8b-9 of 1-11 "Therefore (to see what this therefore is here for look those verses in 1:26-27, 28-32) you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of GOD rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of GOD? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that GOD's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath within yourself for the day of wrath when GOD's righteous judgment will be revealed. For HE will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, HE will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For GOD shows no partiality."
Romans 3:16 of 9-18; James 5:1 of 1-6 "What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written (in Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3): "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for GOD. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (then in Psalm 5:9 of 8-10, 140:3 of 1-3) "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." (then in Psalm 10:7 of 5-11) "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." (then by Isaiah in 59:7-8 of 1-8) "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." (then in Psalm 36:1 of 1-4) "There is no fear of GOD before their eyes."
James 5:1 of 1-6 "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in (for) the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the LORD of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you."
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