Cut Short

There is a Short Version and a Long Version for how we reach the Millennium of Peace.

Short Version

28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. (Romans 9)

The Short Version entirely bypasses Chapters 8-19 of The Revelation of John. The people on earth repent and become righteous and don’t need those End Time Challenges to repent and become righteous.

Long Version

The Long Version encompasses Chapters 8-19 of The Revelation of John and is full of hardships including torture and death.

Determining Factor

What is the determining factor? The determining factor will be the same as it was for Sodom – righteousness:

23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. (Genesis 18)

There will need to be a certain percentage that embrace righteousness in order for the world to avoid the End Time Challenges found in Chapters 8-19 of The Revelation of John. The final discussion will take place during the “half hour of silence in heaven”:

1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. (Revelation 8)

If there are not enough prayers, not enough repenting then the horrors of John’s Revelation will begin.

Which Version

Which version are we to focus on? As it stands, believers are not aware there is a positive alternative and like Jonah, some may be unwilling to yield to the light. The following admonishment by Paul may help them.

1 Thessalonians 5

1 Thessalonians 5 is about how to focus on the coming of Jesus.

1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

It will be totally unexpected:

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

No one shall escape his coming:

3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Believers are not of the dark and therefore are not to focus on the dark prophecies and get caught off guard:

4 But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

We are not to slumber by surrendering to the dark prophecies which have no light and offer no FAITH, LOVE, or HOPE:

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of FAITH and LOVE [v-fear]; and for an helmet, the HOPE of salvation.

The righteous (and the innocent) are not appointed to wrath and should not be focusing upon the prophecies of doom and gloom:

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

No matter what the topic is (including prophecy), our focus should be on Jesus:

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

We should be followers of the good, including the good prophecies:

15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Our outlook should always be hope-filled, positive, and full of light. In short, a reason for rejoicing:

16 Rejoice evermore.

Prove all prophecies and only hold fast to the “good” ones:

21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is GOOD.

Abstain from the prophecies of evil:

22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 5)

Helps

God has several things in mind to help bring the world to a glorious ending. One is the spirit and power of Elijah.

Elijah

Elijah (800 BC) was a great prophet of whom the Jews are still awaiting his return (In the Havdalah and the Harachaman). He was taken up in a chariot never tasting death (2 Kings 2:11-12) and later appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses (Mat. 17:1-4).

Prophecy

The prophecy of Elijah says:

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4)

This prophecy is important for several reasons:

1. It confirms there are two possible scenarios which we have identified here on Cut Short as The Short Version and The Long Version.

2. The determining factor will be whether enough hearts turn and become righteous. This confirms what was postulated under the Determining Factor (see above) that the larger percentage must repent and become righteous in order to avoid the Long Version along with the earth being smitten with that curse.

3. To help turn hearts, the spirit and power of Elijah will be sent as it was in the days of John the Baptist but this time it will be upon ten thousand saints [details below] to turn the disobedient hearts in preparation for the Lord’s return.

Two Comings

Note that Elijah/spirit of Elijah will be sent “before the great and dreadful day of the Lord” which pertains to the Second Coming of Jesus, not his first. The angel who declared John the Baptist’s purpose said that he [John] would be coming in the “spirit” and “power” of Elias [Greek for Elijah]:

17 And he [John the Baptist] shall go before him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1)

There was no mention of saving the earth from a curse. Jesus confirmed the angel’s pronouncement of John the Baptist in Matthew and said that Malachi’s prophesy could be applied to John the Baptist if you wanted to apply it:

10 For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.  (Matthew 11)

The other mention of Elias in the gospels had to do with the Mount of Transfiguration. In Luke’s account, Elias (and Moses) came to comfort Jesus, nothing else:

28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9)

In Matthew’s account of the Mount of Transfiguration there is no mention of them coming to comfort Jesus but it does add something new – Elias will “restore all things”:

10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things.
12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17)

Messianic prophecies often serve a dual purpose with partial fulfillment during Jesus’ first coming and complete fulfillment with his second. The same is true with the prophecy of Elijah. It had partial fulfillment with Jesus’ first coming and will have complete fulfillment at his Second Coming.

When the prophecy of Malachi is read in full, it is clearly Millennial:

1 For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye [the righteous] shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant [Feasts of Israel], which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4)

The Millennial references are:

• The proud shall burn literally and spiritually.
• The righteous shall excel.
• The righteous shall tread down the wicked.
• Elijah/spirit of Elijah will be sent to turn hearts and stave off the Long Version.

Restitution

There are incredible parallels between the prophecies of Malachi 4:1-6, Matthew 17:10-13, and Acts 3:19-24:

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
24 Yea, and all the prophets [i.e. Elijah] from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. (Acts 3)

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The prophecy in Acts 3:19-24 confirms that a day of restoration or restitution will indeed take place and tells us when – at the Second Coming of Jesus. Any references to Elijah returning to restore “all things” are in fact referring to his helping Jesus restore all things. (See also “latter rain” in Joel 2:23.)

Spirit of Elijah

Since “ten thousands of Saints” (See Jude 1:14 cited further down.) will come in both the spirit and the power of Elijah, it’s important to learn what that entails. Here is a list of the abilities Elijah demonstrated:

• Stopped the rain (1 Kings 17:1)
• Fed by ravens (1 Kings 17:6)
• Multiplied flour and oil (1 Kings 17:14)
• Raised the dead (1 Kings 17:21-24)
• Called a ‘troubler of Israel’ (1 Kings 18:17)
• Confronted 450 prophets of Baal in front of all Israel (1 Kings 18:19)
• Challenged the people thus – ‘If God is real, then follow Him’ (1 King 18:21)
• Called down fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:38)
• Convinced the people who the true God was (1 Kings 18:36-39)
• Destroyed the unrepentant prophets (1 Kings 18:40)
• Could out run a chariot (1 Kings 18:46)
• Was fed by an angel (1 Kings 19:5-7)
• Was sustained by that food for forty days and nights (1 Kings 19:8)
• God spoke to him in a ‘still small voice’ (1 Kings 19:12)
• Appointed kings (1 Kings 19:15-16)
• Anointed his own successor (1 Kings 19:16)
• Divided the Jordan River and walked across on dry land (2 Kings 2:8)
• Passed his anointing on to another (2 Kings 2:9-14)
• Taken into heaven in a ‘chariot of fire’ (2 Kings 2:11)

Revelation

Elijah received many revelations about where he should go and what he should do. An important part of the spirit of Elijah is the ability to hear God and hear Him through the “still small voice.” In truth, anyone who has received a testimony of Jesus does have that spirit of prophecy:

10 I am thy fellow-servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19)

Confrontation

Another important trait that Elijah manifested was the ability to confront political leaders:

17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. (1 Kings 18)

And religious leaders:

19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.
20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. (1 Kings 18)

That scene must have been quite menacing with a ratio of 450+ to 1. But confront them Elijah did by challenging their god to consume an offering with fire. Hours passed with no response. Elijah taunted them saying “maybe your god is on vacation or he is taking a nap”? He then called on the true God and the response was swift. The reason for this confrontation was to turn the hearts of the people to the true God:

37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. (1 Kings 18)

It worked! After the demonstration the people repented by falling on their faces and Elijah had their religious leaders killed:

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. (1 Kings 18)

Summary

The purpose of the spirit of Elijah is to turn hearts to God. Two of the notable functions of the spirit of Elijah are Revelation and Confrontation as stated above. The prophet Enoch foretold how this would happen for us in the Epistle of Jude saying:

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. (Jude 1)

Execute Judgment

This “execute judgment” has been stated in a number of different ways:

18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7)

2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1 Corinthians 6)

26 And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron;  (Revelation 2)

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Revelation 3)

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20)

9 I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. (Daniel 7 NKJV)

The Amplified Version calls those who will sit on the thrones “assessors”:

7 I kept looking until thrones were placed [for the assessors with the Judge], and the Ancient of Days [God, the eternal Father] took His seat, Whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame; its wheels were burning fire. (Daniel 7 AMP)

6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. (Isaiah 61)

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; (Revelation 1)

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20)

23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25)

See the Ministers page for more on this.

Limited Time

There will be a limited amount of time for those saints who are walking in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the majority of the people to God. However long a “half hour” (Rev. 8:1) is in God’s time will be how long they will have.

Vernon McGee confirmed this is a transitory time between God’s grace and His judgment:

Transition from grace to judgment. (Dr. J. Vernon McGee, “Revelation 8:1,” Thru the Bible audio 06:47)

In truth, a “half hour” is simply the smallest expression of time in the Bible and is an “approximation” in any case:

1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (Revelation 8)

Aggress

28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. (Psalms 37)

18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. (Daniel 7)

2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1 Corinthians 6)

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1 NIV)

18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (Revelation 11)

Word

This is a prophetic word from prophetess Kat Kerr which confirms what we learned about the spirit and power of Elijah and what the saints who have it will do with it:

It is my desire, in this day and hour, to see my sons and daughters stand off and walk in my power. If you will live for me, if you will seek me, you will find me. If you will prepare yourself, if you will be willing in the day of my power, I will use you.

If you seek after me, you will find me. If you hunger after me with all of your heart, I will fill you with my spirit.

I chose you in these last days to stand up and make a difference in this Earth. To take back from the enemy, the things he had no right to have. You shall become the violent that taketh by force from the enemy.

…

That glory will cover this Earth, the knowledge of myself, who I am, what I made, will be known throughout the Earth, and you, my people, will be a part of it.

…

I will reward those that diligently seek me. You will walk in my power

…

I give you power and authority over this Earth, I give you dominion over this Earth, the very rocks of this Earth, the very foundations of this Earth are crying out, stand up sons and daughters of God, stand up sons and daughters of God, take dominion, take authority, see what you can do with your God living on the inside of you.

Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear!

I do not bring fear, I bring life, I bring power, I bring love. You bring life, you bring power, you bring love. When you walk in love, you are walking in my shoes. I will give you my power, if you seek after it. Do not tremble for fear, cause the enemy to tremble with fear. If you do not let fear interfere in your life, you will walk in my power. You will bring me much glory in this Earth.

These are the greatest days that ever existed on this Earth for my people. I will stand up on the inside of you, I will show up and show off on the inside of you, and this world will know that there is a God. They will have to make a choice, and I will draw a dividing line between darkness and light, and there will be no grey area to hide.

So what will you pursue? Will you pursue darkness or pursue light? I’ll let you choose. I declare that you are made in my image and after my likeness, stand up and act like it says you’re a God (Youtube).

Looks like the Knights Templar will ride again, but instead of redeeming just Jerusalem, they will be redeeming the whole earth.

Strange Act

The prophecy in Isaiah 28 speaks of God’s “strange act,” The Mighty and Strong Ones. (full text follows the Highlights)

Highlights

v.1 Wo to the crown of pride. This is reiterated in many of the prophecies and confirmed here, pride is the enemy of love and God.

v. 2 God has a Mighty and Strong One(s), i.e. the faithful who will walk in the spirit and power of Elijah.

v. 3-4 The proud trodden under foot. Represents the righteous intolerance The Mighty and Strong Ones will have toward the unrepentant.

v. 5 In that day the Lord will be a glorious crown to the faithful.

v. 6 God will justify the justice that will be meted out at that time by The Mighty and Strong.

v. 7 Among the proud are priests and prophets, some political and some religious who are drunks and their visions are cloudy and decisions unreliable.

v. 9 Whom shall God teach knowledge and learn doctrine – the prideful, the judgmental, the drunk? No, but rather those who have been weaned and are able to stand on their own. Drunkenness and filthiness are the fruits of the unwise and the unlearned.

v. 10 Learning is a little at a time, i.e. line upon line and precept upon precept which the drunkard is unable to accommodate.

v. 17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

v. 14-15 Sold soul to the devil. It will backfire on them.

v. 18-19 The Strong and Mighty will tread them all under foot. From the time that they go forth like an “overflowing scourge” it will be constant, “by morning, by day, and by night.” Just the report of their actions will be a vexation to hear.

Now add to The Strong and Mighty the power David had against the Philistines & Joshua against the Amorites:

v. 21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim (a), he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon (b), that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

a. 10 And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand.
11 So they came up to Baal-perazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters: therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim. (1 Chronicles 14)

b. 8 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
10 And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel. (Joshua 10)

God shall use The Strong and Mighty Ones to avenge Him of His enemies, the unrepentant just as He did with David, Joshua, and Elijah. This is His strange act.

v. 22 Now therefore be ye not mockers. The world is warned, do not mock or make light of this prophecy as it came directly from God we are told; and it will consume the whole earth.

Full Text

1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.
3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:
4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,
6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?
25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?
26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. (Isaiah 28)

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