The prophet Habakkuk's dialogue with God, beginning with his grief over God's silence amidst Judah's unfaithfulness and injustice, and culminating in a triumphant song. It highlights God's response that judgment is coming through the Chaldeans, but also God's faithfulness to His covenant, emphasizing that God chastens those He loves. The prophet's ultimate comfort and the sermon's conclusion rest on the vision of God's appointed time for judgment and vindication, which is ultimately understood as the second coming of Christ.
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We thank you for coming. Happy to know that some of us can gather together and look into the book that gives before us, the book of Abacus, that little prophecy so precious in its ministry and message. And I would like particularly to give a little review that we have covered so far in chapter one. You'll find particularly the outline in chapter two, or page two I should say, of your lesson sheet if you have one. and we'll try to follow and conclude this lesson page today and perhaps be able to go into the lesson on page three but please let me give you just briefly as we studied it in the opening remarks the outline of the book and may I say again one of the most loveliest things about the book so unique and different from other prophecies it is as it were a dialogue a conversation that the prophet has with the Lord.
And the Lord speaking to the prophet. Can I repeat that? For I want you to see and impressively remember the difference of this prophecy in comparison to the many others. Many of the others, as we well know, whether the major or the minor prophets, they touch upon the message of God, particularly to Israel or to Judah, as the case may be. concerning the conditions of the people, concerning the purposes of God for them and with them, and ultimately, as we well know, concerning the future, concerning the people of Israel too.
But when you come to the book of the Bacchus, it's just like a conversation between the prophet and God himself and God speaking to the prophet. And for he has a burden. We emphasize in chapter one, we see the burden of faith that was His. In chapter two, we find the prophet gets a vision, a vision of faith, the one that we all need, and God grant, we'll see that and be blessed by it. And then in chapter three, we find the prophet manifesting faith, prayer, or praying, a eulogy to God, one of the most impressive eulogies that you can find.
relative to the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus in all of his glory. And then singing it in the end, singing a triumphant song. Well, may I remind you again, as we did in the outline on the page number one, the prophecy begins with a sigh. It begins with a sigh. The heart of the prophet is poured out in grief in the presence of God. And then the prophecy ends with a song. on a song of triumph. I don't know whether you've ever noticed that in the Psalms, but quite frequently you'll find every Psalm, most of the Psalms, they begin with testing, with the experience of trouble, of trial.
And then when you get to the end of the Psalm, faith rises above the trial. And isn't that the picture of the Christian life? trouble and sorrow, trial and difficulty. And may I add, please do not be deceived by an emphasis that is so prevailing today that when one will become a Christian, they will prosper. And prosper particularly materially. And met some of them both.
They became millionaires since they become a Christian. Now let me tell you, God doesn't save us to make us millionaires. Let me give you the words of a dear old chorus. We thank his children. I'd rather be poor and know Jesus than own the whole world and be king. For it's only those who know Jesus in heaven his praises shall sing. And if the Lord does make you a millionaire, let me ask you, how much of it are you going to take with you? For it is certain that we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. We came in with nothing. We go out with nothing.
But I tell you one thing, the believer goes out with Christ, and to be with Christ, which is far better. Now, please let me re-emphasize. We're going to begin in chapter one at verse twelve, but may I emphasize the preceding section. In verses one through four, the prophet pours out his grief to the Lord. What troubled him was the silence of God. And may I give you the thought, the silence of God is worth noticing in the word of God. Let me give you the thought. Have you ever noticed between Malachi and Matthew? There were four hundred silent years.
No divine revelation. Malachi closing with a deplorable condition of moral and spiritual insensibility prevailing amongst the people of God in the whole nation. Until the blessed Savior appears that God begins to speak again. There are oftentimes silences when God doesn't speak. And what troubled the prophet was the difficulties, the violence, the injustices, the low spiritual state, and moral state, as well as not only the moral state, but the economic state of the people of Judah in that day.
And it troubled him that God was silenced though his people were going astray from Jehovah. But, beloved, let me say this. Many are going astray today, and I'm speaking particularly of God's professing Christians. And let me quote Scripture to support my statement. Paul writing, and I quote just this particular word in First Timothy four and verse one, This note the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times, in the latter times, some shall depart apostatized from the faith, the truth of God, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.
And that particularly emphasized the closing days of Christianity. Now, please let me state. I'm no pessimist. You and I were saved who got the brightest hope that any person could. The brightest hope anyone could ever have. But when you look at the Word of God, when you compare the conditions around us at large, in the whole profession of Christianity, I say profession. Some of it, much of it may not be real. Some of it is real, we know. But the majority that professes to represent Christ upon the earth, whether they are the cult, or whatever they may be in the bodies of Christendom, how far we see them straying from the truth of God.
But nevertheless, God is still silent, isn't He? And may I say, just as Habakkuk said, How long? And many times I've raised that question, how long? For more than one reason. But if there's one basic reason... that you and I as believers should feel in our hearts concerning the spiritual state of things at large in the world and around us. We should say, Lord, in grief, concern, Lord, how long will you be silent? Now we saw that the Lord answered the prophet from verses five going down through verse eleven.
And we saw that he told the prophet, I'm not going to be silent very long. I'm going to send the Chaldeans to judge my people, to oppress them, to devour them, to punish them, and take them captive. Now we come to the next section beginning at verse twelve. Let me read it down to the end of the chapter. Now please note again, and what a joy it is to be able to know that your paragraph mark, you note that paragraph in your Bible, it is an authentic, one from the manuscript copies, your chapters and your verses have been particularly placed this way by the translators for our convenience.
But when you read a paragraph mark, you can recognize, here's a distinct difference between what's preceded. Now you find after God told the prophet what he was going to do, now the prophet speaks and says, let me read from verse twelve to the end of the chapter. In fact, I'd like to go into chapter two and verse one. For the first verse of chapter two belongs at the end of chapter one. Are thou not for an everlasting, O Lord, my God? Mine holy one, we shall not die, O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment. And, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. Thou art a purer eyes than to be old evil and canst not look on iniquity.
Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue, when the wicked devoureth a man that is more righteous than he, and makeeth men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things that have no ruler over them. They take up all of them with the angle, it's the manner in which they fish. They cast them in their net. They gather them in their drag. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net. They burn incense unto their drag. Because by them their portion is fat. Their meat planches. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations?
Now after this burst of questioning to Jehovah, the prophet stops and speaks to himself. in chapter two verse one. He's not speaking to God in verse one of chapter two. After declaring the words that preceded, I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower and will watch to see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I am approved. Go to your lesson sheet if you will on page two and follow with me paragraph number three which covers the section before us and we find on the letter A what we can recognize as the prophet thus speaks God's terrible announcement shocks the prophet and the question in his mind is what's going to be for our nation so may I say very frankly any pious and every pious Jew any pious Israelites It's concerned for the testimony of God's nation.
His earthly people, Israel. And here has come a prophecy where God declares the Chaldeans were to rise up and the Babylonians would conquer the land and take captive the people of Israel and they would be destroyed and scattered abroad. And that, for the prophet, was a shock. And so he raises the question. And yet when you begin, now please note in verse twelve, I want you to note something. Let me put it this way. The prophet knew what kind of a God he had. It was to God that we knew what kind of a God we have when our troubles come.
And he laid old of the blessed fact and the truth. relating to the person of God Jehovah, the God of Israel. And now note his language. Let me begin reading on the letter B. The prophet's comfort was faith in Jehovah. He knows Jehovah as a faithful God. Surely he will not permit the nation to be wiped out. He will keep his covenant with his people and the back of realizers. The Lord is using the enemy for correction in order to chastise his earthly people. Please note the words are very clear. O art thou art thou not from everlasting. Oh Lord my God, mine holy one, surely we're not going to perish.
Nice and lay hold of the promises, isn't it? Let me give you the thought. I know sometimes you come across people that believe they can lose their salvation, poor folks. And if they're really saved, you can't lose. Let me ask you a question. Know what the prophet says. Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God. You remember the Lord Jesus said, I give unto my sheep? What? Eternal life. They shall never perish. When God saves you, He gives you eternal life. Now if you could lose it, then it wasn't eternal.
Right? The prophet knew he's gone. Everlasting. I'm changing. I wonder if the prophet had read Jeremiah, thirty-three, when God said, I've loved thee with an everlasting love. But there's one sure fact. He knew his God was an eternal person. Holy, we shall not die. Surely we'll not perish. Lord, I know what you're doing. You've ordained my people to be judged, to be punished.
My beloved, please let me state this. One of the attributes of God and in relationship to God as we know him as Christians is this. He judges his people. And may I point out to you, he doesn't wait for a future day of judgment. He judges his people now. Go with me to First Peter, chapter one. First Peter, chapter one, if you please. I want you to know what Peter writes. Now I want you to recognize the principle is just the same today, when God's people are not what they should be. He reproves them.
He chastens, them whom the Lord loves, he chastens. They're looking for Peter chapter one. Let me read from verse thirteen, and I'll read down through verse seventeen only. Peter writing to say, Go up the loins of your mind. Be sober and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation or the coming in glory of Jesus Christ. Now note the responsibility. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the form of lust in your ignorance, but as he which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, all manner of life, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.
Now please let me emphasize, there's no use studying the prophecy of Rebecca, any of those prophets, unless you and I can learn something that's relevant to ourselves today. And just as God required holiness on the part of his earthly people, He requires holiness of life on the part of his people today who professed the name of the Lord Jesus. Now know verse seventeen please. And if ye call on the Father, now let me pause for a moment. The Old Testament saints didn't have that special relationship. You know, Habakkuk calls upon him as the everlasting God, the Holy One.
Jehovah, Halloween, whatever the Hebrew name has been given in the Old Testament, revealing the character and the person of God, they used it. But may I emphasize this, please may I emphasize it, the distinction that you and I, we call him Father. And we can only do it since the Lord Jesus has revealed the Father. No man has seen God at any time, but the only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father he hath revealed him. And when you... Let me give you this thought. The whole Gospel of John, you read the mention of the Father hundred and twenty or a hundred and nineteen or a hundred and twenty times.
The Father, the Father, the Father, my Father. And then you come to the end of it, chapter twenty in verse seventeen, when the Lord Jesus commissions Mary, go tell my brethren what? I ascend unto my Father, your Father, my God and your God. Now we can call him Father. You think the so-called Lord's Prayer, after this manner pray, he's saying what? Our Father. Beloved, please let me state, there is a relationship, an intimate relationship, that is only peculiar to the children of God of this age, where we can call him Father. Now read on in verse seventeen.
We call on the Father. Now note, who without respect of persons, showing no partiality, he judges, and may I emphasize, this is a present judgment, got nothing to do with the future. He judges according to every man's word. So pass the time of your sojourning here and here. And please, may I say, I've said it before, and let me repeat it, you and I who are Christians, we may disobey our Father. May I tell you, our disobedience to the Father will bring his chastening, as we well know from Hebrews twelve.
So we can recognize It's not future judgment. But even in the present time, God will judge it. Let me give you an example. First Corinthians chapter eleven. All you have to read is from verse twenty-three and on, or verse seventeen and on. And you'll find that dear Corinthian Christians were making a feast, a gluttonous feast, a disastrous feast of that sacred Lord supper. And Paul wrote, For this reason, some of you are sick, some of you are weak, and some sleep.
And he points out, God judged you, because he's not going to judge you with the world. I tell you very frankly, Hebrews twelve says, We have earthly fathers who chastened us for our prophet. How much more the father of spirit? will chasten us to make us more like himself. How blessed to see that. Please let me suggest to you, just as in Israel, God chasten them and judge them for their sins of disobedience, let's remember that even we ourselves, as his children today, we are not immune from his chastening hand.
Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. And let me repeat the words that follow, and scourges every son that he received. You can't find a Christian without having chastening. Lord has a lot of bad children, don't he? We're not too willing to confess them. I remember speaking to some children way back over fifty years ago in the Sunday school and I asked them, I said, now what kind of boys and girls did Jesus love? Then they shouted out, good ones! I looked at one little boy that shouted out in the front row.
I said, Melvin, are you a good boy? And he put his head in his hands. Oh, Mr. Bramwell, he says, I'm a naughty boy. Well, he knew the truth. And he told him, well, the dear Melvin got saved a few weeks later on, thank God. But what a joy to realize. The father loves his children. And because he loves them, he chastened them. He loved his people Israel. And when they strayed so far, he put his hand of judgment upon them. Now, if you please, let's look at verse thirteen. And you know, let me read the verse and then we'll read the comment. Thou art a purer eyes than to behold evil. Canst not look on iniquity.
Remember the verse in Peter? God said, Be ye holy, as I am holy. Our Father is holy. And as the Prophet says, are purer eyes than to behold evil and cast not look on iniquity. And therefore he goes on to say, Wherefore lookest thou upon them? That would be the nations that were oppressing Israel, that deal treacherously and holdeth thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he. Now please note in verse and in your paragraph, please. Please note on the letter C. Nobody is pleading. Let me again repeat. Habakkuk is talking to God, and he further pleads for the righteous God not to be unconcerned at the wicked deeds of the Chaldeans.
Can he remain silent to all their deeds of violence? They deal treacherously. Why God is the pure eyes than to be old evil and look on iniquity? No, this question. Why holdest thou thy tongue? When the wicked devoureth a man that is more righteous than he? You've got the same situation today. The righteous were surrounded by the wicked. The constitution of this world, humanly speaking, if I remember the words of the Lord Jesus, narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it, but broad is the road that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in their wrath.
And if I've got enough sense in my mind and heart today to see and observe what's happening around us, the wicked are more in number than the righteous. And all the evidence you need is it before your eyes every day, in your news every day. But please, let me be the same as the backer. Surely, just as he said, you're going to hold your tongue? Are you going to hold your tongue, Lord? Let it go on? God won't keep silence.
God won't keep silence. I feel sorry for the wicked when God opens his mouth. And judgment falls upon this world. Please let me say. Now, look, do you and I realize, you know, we get so focused upon our own little circumference of life, we don't take in the whole wide situation. Now, let me ask you, the government of this world at large, can you point to any government where righteousness prevails said the psalmist righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people and I say it lovingly but I say it faithfully with no apology unrighteousness prevails today in every nation but don't you worry my dear fellow believer God's going to open his mouth someday.
And one thinks of that coming day when the Lord Jesus will appear. From Revelation chapter nineteen. You remember in Revelation nineteen as he comes out of heaven? Writing on a white horse. King of kings and lord of lords written upon his vesture. And remember these words? A sword shall go out of his mouth. Will by which or with which he will destroy the nation. He won't hold his tongue forever. Read the paragraph, if I may, please. I want you to note something at the end of that paragraph C. Notice question, why holdest thou thy tongue? It is also the voice of the godly remnant seen suffering with the nation at all times.
Wherever you may read in the history of Israel, the suffering of God's earthly people you'll find that there was a small nucleus our believer. Let me give you the thought. You may read the prophecy of Zechariah at large. And you read of some of the judgments that God, that the prophet acknowledges that God put upon his people. And then you've got an expression that Zechariah uses. But the poor of the flock, the poor of the flock, the little remnant that recognize we're suffering because of our disobedience. Let me remind you of what Daniel said in his great confession in chapter nine and ten of his prophecy.
Daniel confessed the sins and the iniquities of his fathers and of the nation and also included himself in the confession. Recognizing and acknowledging they had been worthy of the suffering that was brought. And God has always got a remnant. Now let me translate that application. In the coming day, when in the Great Tribulation, in Israel, and the people of Israel who will in that day turn to Jehovah instead of following the Antichrist, they will suffer. And in their sufferings, they will be calling and waiting upon God.
How long will you hold your tongue? Frankly, if I can visualize with you, I wish I could more. what Israel is going to feel when under the greatest pressure of their history they are in the last days subjected to the hatred of the whole world. Oh, please can I emphasize that? The hatred of the whole world is accumulating an outsider, perhaps one, and not even more than one of two nations. Is there any interest to help Israel? But the hatred of the whole world is going to come upon them. And the godly remnant that sealed, just as the backer did, God is punishing his people.
They said, Lord, you're going to hold your tongue. You promised you wouldn't destroy this nation. Then lay hold on those promises in that coming day. And this is the voice of the godly remnant in that day. Now please note, if I may go further. as you read let me please read if you if I may in verse fourteen and on and here you find the prophet further describes the wickedness of the Chaldeans these men are like the thou makest men as the fishes of the sea as the creeping things that have no ruler over them and these nations the wickedness of the of the of the Chaldeans they catch men in other words they're out just like a fisherman to catch the fish and gather the spoiled, the wealth, and to rejoice.
And they catch them in their net. They gather them in their drag. Therefore they rejoice and neglect. This is just figurative language. Figurative language to take out of the nation of Israel and other nations men, drag them, punish them, and spoil them. And in... You know, even in times like these, when we see one country overthrown by one power overthrown by another and usually the next one maybe become worse than the one previous is there any concern of the suffering that's been caused rejoicing that they've defeated their enemy and put them to shame and so the prophet recognizes Well, all I've got to do is tell you, as we well know, from the advancement of the Babylonian Empire.
Nebuchadnezzar, how he became the great monarch of the whole empire and boasted what he had done. But in the subjugation of their enemies and the countries that they conquered, they rejoiced over it. They glad. They're suffering. For instance, let me give you the thoughts. You take the destruction of Jerusalem in AD seventy. Remember, I think we had mentioned of it in one of our lessons under Hosea. And if you recall, Josephus the Jewish historian wrote that a million Jews were destroyed at that great siege of two to three years. And the remainder that were left were sent into exile, or that they were slain.
But what happens when the Romans won any kind of a victory? They took the conquered people that they wanted to take and displayed them in a parade in a magnificent show of victory back in Rome again. Oftentimes they tied their victims to the wheels of their chariot as an emblem that they conquered them. Not even rejoicing, not even rejoicing, though it was done so violently and so cruelly. And so the prophet realizes this. And not also in verse sixteen. The prophet recognizes their idolatry. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net.
They burn incense unto their drag. Because by then their portion is fat. Their meat, plancher. They boast that by their own efforts they've conquered. And not only so. What the prophet is saying, if you got on your lesson sheet the last sentence on the letter D, they worship false gods. Now when you go in verse seventeen, you find the prophet saying, Shall they therefore empty their net, not spare continually to slay the nations? Will it go on forever? Will it go on forever? Will it go on forever? My, I'm sure there's been many a pious Jews' question.
Will God permit our sufferings to go on forever? Now let's look at chapter two, verse one. We have much to find in this verse. The prophet now speaks to himself. There seems to be no immediate answer from God to his appeal. So he speaks to himself. Note the words, I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower. I will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. Now, may I point out very carefully, or read the paragraph, it gives you the message. If you look at the paragraph after he quotes the words, he expresses his innermost attitude by the symbol of a watchman.
By the symbol of a watchman. Now, you may have read in the prophecy of Isaiah the the words that the prophet writes, Watchmen, what of the night? And there on the towers in Israel, the towers around the country or nearby a city, the watchman would be watching for any approach of enemy or whatever disaster, and through the night he would be watching. And Habakkuk says, I'll stand upon my watch. I'll take, I'll be the, I'll have the attitude of a watchman. And then he goes on to, let me read on, His question is, will God be gracious and give his servant some understanding of the problem and burden?
He resolves to wait on God's word. It is the blessed attitude of waiting on God and waiting for God. And this verse must not be dislocated from the chapter one, for it is the conclusion of the question which had so sorely tried his spirit at the first. Not so much looking to revents in providence. but wishing to see what Jehovah would say to him. Now let me continue a little bit in that refrain of that last sentence we've just read. The prophet was not merely concerned what the nations or the Babylonians were going to do to his people.
He was now concerned what's God going to do? What will God do? Now please may I state this. We have an attitude today, unfortunately, I confess it myself. We have an attitude today of waiting to see what the nations are going to do. Wouldn't it be better to wait on God to find out what He's going to do? What He's going to do? And the prophet says, I'm just going to be a watchman. And let me give you the thought. The conditions that you and I are surrounded by should move us to do the same thing as the backer.
To be watchmen. Waiting upon God. Waiting upon God. Waiting upon God. Can I quote the words of Psalm sixty-two, verse five? Take them in. The Psalm is writing. And our precious to realize the truth of it. Truly my soul waiteth only upon God, for my expectation is from him. Let me quote the words in the translation of J.N. Darby, which has been a blessing to me, and I'll tell you why. Truly my soul, wait thou only upon God alone, rather, upon God alone, oh my soul, wait patiently.
for my expectation is from him. Now let me give you an experience. Way back in World War II, on D-Day, I knew from the news, not only from the news alone, but very definitely I knew that my son was in the invasion of Normandy, right at the front, going over. Did I wait for news? It took a month before we heard from him. It was a full month before he was able to write that he was okay. But that one verse I took, upon God alone, oh my soul, Darby's translation is rest peacefully, for my expectation is from him.
Whatever the news might be, there's where you find peace, waiting on God, waiting for God. waiting for him and we'll find out what God said to the prophet look on page three on the lesson sheet and we go to let me go to verse two and three and read it with you in our chapter for in this section now beginning of verse two and in chapter two we have the vision that God gave the prophet he gave him a vision let me know now we don't know when If I may read the first paragraph on your lesson sheet, page number three.
God answers the waiting prophet. How long he waited? It's not stated. The Lord never disappoints his inquiring and waiting servant. And now he says, let me read the words. The Lord answered me and said, Write the vision. Make it plain upon tables that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time. But at the end it shall speak and not lie. Go with tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come. It will not tarry. Now note your lesson sheet. We'll follow it very quickly for the first part of it. For I want you to note the important statement that the prophet is given.
And under letter B, first of all, this is the message of the vision. The vision is yet for an appointed time. But at the end it shall speak. not lie. So it tarry. Wait for it, because it will surely come. It will not tarry. Now note the following facts. First, the purpose or the power of the vision, the vision that the prophet receives, the purpose of it was that he may run, you note the end of verse two, that he may run that readeth it. Now this is sometimes misquoted that the runner may read it, not so. If you read the message of the vision, you'll run better.
And the reader is to run, spread the message in joyful intelligence. Now please note verse three, the certainty of the vision. The vision is yet for an appointed time. In other words, according to God's schedule, not hours. And as we continue on, we'll see the message of the vision more clear as we go further. But it's going to be according to God's plan of the ages. Now the time of it. Note in verse two. Verse three again, rather. But at the end, it shall speak. Emphasize those words. Habakkuk, it's not going to take place right away.
But at the end, it'll come to pass. at the end. Read your paragraph, please. Number three, the time of it. It hastens toward the end. Now when is the end? The end is when the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled, which commenced with Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel two, ends with the last world Gentile power, which is revealed in Revelation chapter thirteen. And the Lord Jesus in Luke twenty-one, twenty-four spoke of the times of the Gentiles coming to an end. The last world power will be destroyed and judged at the second coming of Christ to the earth.
Now, please let me retract something and not retract anything, but let me just retrace the implication. In chapter one, the Babylonian empire was to rise up as an instrument of judgment against the people of Israel. And you know from scripture, and we know well, from chapter two of Daniel and other scriptures, it was the beginning of the Gentile age, dominating the government of the earth. Israel has not had a government until recent years, and not only locally. But since Israel has been dispersed, the Gentiles have governed the world, and they were given the government of the world by God.
Nebuchadnezzar was told, the God of heaven hath given you this kingdom. And the government of this world has been in Gentile hands. Let me put it in this perspective. You may remember when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and he destroyed the temple, he took all the vessels away from the temple. What was the most sacred instrument, most sacred vessel in that temple? It was the ark of the covenant, as well as in the tabernacle of old. And may I say this, that ark of the covenant was the symbol of divine government on the earth. And to the nation of Israel, God had entrusted the responsibility to be a nation by its example and practice to manifest his name amongst all the nations of the earth.
They failed. And the failure was so great that under the Chaldean invasion, God took the throne away. And it went over to Babylon. And the government of the earth became Gentile in authority and power. And you've got the truth of that in Romans thirteen. Where the Christian believer is told. The powers that be. The nations that exist. They're ordained of God. What for? To govern. To put down evil. To protect the righteous. Don't do a good job like we know, but that's their responsibility.
And at the end of the Gentile age, when the Lord Jesus is about to come, we know it will bring the final Gentile power. Now more. The vision that Abacket was given, God told him, At the end it's going to speak. Now what was the vision? Please, now please go with me if you please. Let me read verse number four on your sheet. The assurance of the vision. The prophet is told to wait for it, but he says, Surely will surely come and will not tarry. And it is the coming of the Lord in power and great glory. Now let me read the verse. Verse three. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie.
though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Will you go to your lesson page? I've got something interesting on there under paragraph C. Now may I say this, and we'll resume it next week and go further into the details of it. The vision that the prophet was given is the vision of the blessed person of Christ at his second coming. At his second coming. And I want you to note your first paragraph, as well as your second one there. And I'm quoting from what is the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. Now, this was a Greek translation by seventy Hebrew scholars.
If you may recall in history, the main language of the cultured world before the Roman, after Babylonian, after the Medo-Persian, was the Grecian Empire. And one of the most prevailing languages over the whole empire was the Greek language. That's why we've got our New Testament originally in Greek. And it was written in Greek. Well, seventy rabbis, oh, long before Jesus came to the earth, they translated the Hebrew scriptures because the language of the Greeks, many of the Jews had been spread over the nations, and they translated the Hebrew scriptures into Greek languages.
Now I'm going to quote what they render this verse in that Old Testament translation. Verse three. For the vision is yet for a time, and it shall shoot forth at the end, and not in vain. Now note the distinction. Go he, Terry. Please let me say, those translators, those rabbinical translators, They put the Messiah in there. Though he tarry, wait for him, for he will surely come, and will not tarry. And those pious Jews recognize that the vision was concerning their coming, glorious Messiah. What's the vision? The Messiah's coming.
The Messiah's coming. And when he comes, he'll destroy the nations that are against us. Now you know that didn't happen at his first coming, didn't it? But it will when he comes to the second appearing. And he will destroy the nation. Now, let me read on, please, in the next paragraph. Before we close. But I want you to note something. Our New Testament confirms this fact. That Christ is the center of the vision. Go with me to Hebrews ten. You've got your Bible. Though I've got it quoted and written on the lesson sheet. Please note in the New Testament the Apostle Paul writes in chapter ten. regarding the same verse that Abakkuk has written.
And let me read in verse thirty-seven. Let me go to verse thirty. Please let me go to verse thirty-five. Get the connection. Cast not away, therefore, your confidence which have great recompense of reward. For you need of patience. That after you've done the will of God, you might receive the promise. Let me ask you the question. Do we need more patience today than ever? We sure do. There's one thing I'm finding, the dear saints have gone, and I'm one of them, we impatiently wish the Lord had come. It's getting more so, isn't it?
Everywhere I go, it matters not where I may go. I find Christians saying, I wish the Lord would come. What's happening? Conditions are making them impatient. And like a backer. Who long for deliverance? He's told them wait for it. Now look what the apostle writes here. Let me read verse thirty-six again. Ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. And what's the promise? Verse thirty-seven. And no. For yet a little while, and he, not it, he that shall come, will come, and he will not tarry. He's coming in a hurry. Look in Revelation chapter twenty two.
Verse twenty I believe. The last chapter in the Bible and in the book of the Revelation chapter twenty. And note with me the words of the Lord Jesus. As thus is the last message. Verse twenty. He which testifies these things says surely I come how quickly. That's what it means I will not carry. When he comes at the end. I'm coming in a hurry. Surely I come quickly. And the reply of your heart and mind is indeed, as John said, even so come, Lord Jesus. And the vision, please let me say, God gave Abaka the vision of the second coming of Christ.
Now look, when we get to chapter three, he describes it. You've got the most immense description of the second coming of Christ in poetic language that is unequal. And the vision that he had was Christ coming again. How we need that today, do we not? How we need that? Please let me say, as I said to a brother, Lord's Day up in Philadelphia, I said, I said, brother, there's only one answer. There's a whole problem. The coming of the Lord. Praise the Lord he's coming.
Shall we pray? Father, we do thank thee for thy precious word. We marvel at the fact, Father. We've gone back hundreds of years to read thy precious word written by thy servant Abaka, whose heart was grieved troubled, concerned over the conditions of thy people. How similarly today we may have the same concern. But, O Father, the vision that was given to faith to answer the problem was the vision of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power and great glory.
And we thank thee, we wait for that answer to come. But while waiting, Father, we do pray, help us, as we have read from Hebrews ten, not to cast away our confidence, as the manner of some may be, but wait with patience and seek to do the will of God. For he that shall come will come, and he will not tarry. Lord Jesus, you're coming. And, O Lord, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
And this corruption, corruptible, will put on incorruption. This mortal will put on immortality. Then shall be swallowed up, then shall be come to pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is thy sting, and, oh, grave, where is thy victory? Will be the triumphant song of faith. When the reality takes place. Lord Jesus, we just want to say thank you. You're coming again. We're glad you came to save us. We're glad by your work on the cross you did it to save us. We're glad you're up in heaven keeping us. Now, Lord, we just wait for one thing. Even so come, Lord Jesus.
And in the meantime, we ask, help the souls around us that encompass us in their sins. Many of them to be brought to Christ through the preaching of the gospel. And bring us miracles of thyself and our loved ones too. We ask in Jesus' name, giving thanks. Amen. Thank you for coming. I hope you don't lose the vision. We'll follow it through next week.