Psalm 82 The Signs of The Times

Daily Bible Study for Thursday October 20, 2016

By: Hanny Lynn Stearns

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.

“Multiplying God’s Word Around The Globe”

Chapter Reading for Today: Please read in your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version, that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I will keep it with the New King James Version.

One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my own writing. I am adding red to the letters when it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.

Bible Gateway Verse of the Day

Psalm 51:12

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Psalm 82

The Signs of the Times

When we read this chapter, we can see exactly what is happening in our world today – can’t we? For those of us in the United States, we can look at those who are sitting among the highest offices in the land, the Supreme Court, and see Judges who are making laws that suppress the weak and innocent while voting in favor of the desires of the wicked. But God is still on the throne – hallelujah! Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father;

How grateful we are that You have given us Your word (The Bible) to tell us about the signs of the times in advance. Father, having these warnings ahead of time makes it much easier for the believer in Jesus Christ to endure the hardships that this life is now presenting. We know we have an expected end, and because of Jesus our end is peace. Father, I am asking You to help us see these signs more clearly. Help us to understand the importance of drawing closer to You so that our hearts will not be troubled during these times of tribulation in the earth. Give me the anointing and the utterance to bring a message from Your heart to ours today. Cause this to go out across the globe unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. Enlighten the eyes of our hearts Sir that we may become wise as serpents yet gentle as doves in the earth. Lord, as we study, we will be determined in our hearts to be doers of Your word and not forgetful hearers. Show us what we need to change in our lives to line up with Your will. Thank You for always watching over Your word to perform it in our lives when we obey what You said. Thank You in advance for the answers to this prayer. We believe we have already received them and thank You for it in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

One need not look any further than the local news station or newspaper to see and hear of all the disruption going on in the earth today. It’s happening all over the world. Wars, rumors of wars and false prophets only name a few of the troubles our world now faces. Yet in all this, we can know one thing that will never be shaken – the word of God! Everything around us may seem to be changing for the worse, but our God is rock solid! Look at this…

Psalm 46:1-7

46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; ³ though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. ⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. ⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Even though there may be some not so good news coming our way, the best place for us to start and end is with the good news – amen! And here is some more good news…

Isaiah 54:10

¹⁰ For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Even though the Lord has seen fit, and rightly so of course, to tell us of the terrible things that would happen in advance in the world we live in, He has loaded us up with wonderful, soul strengthening promises to help us to stand strong through it all. He is so good and so faithful. He will never let the righteous be moved, and…

Psalm 96:10

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; the world also is firmly established, it shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.”

Notice how this verse becomes a great segway into what our chapter today is talking about. It took me a few minutes to get quiet and allow the Lord to direct my thought on this. It always does.  I could never figure this stuff out on my own – glory to God! In the “US” we have a supreme court that makes the final decision on many of the laws of our land. Once these men are voted into these high positions, they remain there for life. These are people that we must depend on to help the people of this nation so we can have a safe and comfortable place to live; a place where justice prevails and people are treated properly and with dignity.

The laws these Justices pass are critical in determining how the nation will go. Let me tell you right up front that I am not called to follow politics very closely. I do vote and that is my God given responsibility as a resident of this land. To refuse to vote is to cast a vote against myself and my family. It says that I do not honor the system that the Lord has put in place and my inaction can actually boomerang on me and cause me to have trouble personally because I did not fulfill my civil duty as a citizen of this country.

The Lord has anointed me to be a minister of His word – the gospel. He has anointed me to preach and teach. But others have been anointed to be very involved in politics. This lesson is not intended to be political in any way. Its purpose is to help us see more clearly what the word of God is showing us for such a time as this. And for that, we thank Him – amen!

In the last 40 or more years, we have seen a nation that was established by the Lord when He sent the Puritans over here on a ship so they could worship God freely without religious rules and men’s traditions, turn in a completely different direction. We call ourselves one nation under God. The Lord was the One the government turned to before making the decisions that would govern our land. Prayer was the “norm” in government. God was honored when America first began as a country. Laws were established based on the Bible, and people were treated much better than they are today.

Of late, our country has decided to pass laws that allow the killing of innocent unborn babies. And there are many other laws that currently oppress those who are less fortunate while giving advantage to those who are wicked in heart and purpose. Justice in our land has become nearly a byword. It has not prevailed. The Judges are ruling in favor of abominable things and the humble are left behind. It is obvious that the spiritual foundations that this nation was founded on are being shaken to the very core.

No longer does godly justice truly prevail in America – though God’s people will continue to pray for this land that our hearts may be turned again to the Lord and His will and ways for the people who live and work here. The leaders of our land (called “gods” in this chapter) should have the best interest of all the people when they consider changing anything in our laws. Those with wicked schemes who want to buy their way into the government “hot seats” and establish outlandish laws should not be permitted to serve. But they are. Let’s look now at what Jesus showed us about how things would be at the end of the age…

Matthew 24:1-44

24 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. ² And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place”(whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶ “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²² And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

²³ “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand.

²⁶ “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

³² “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! ³⁴ Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The above verses are a complete detailed description of the end of the age – the time you and I are living in right this very moment. Jesus gave us exact details of how this will all play out. All the foundations of godliness in this world are being shaken to the very core as we read this message. People are running to and fro in total confusion and darkness. Most in the world feel like there is no hope. They are frightened. They don’t have the answers so they try to “survive” each day just wanting to “make it through another day.” What a way to live, right? (Not!) Friends, if that’s living, what’s the point? When folks do not know Jesus, they are living in a survival mode with absolutely no hope and no purpose to their lives. They see all the terrible things happening and when they pillow their heads at night, their minds are reeling with fear, questions and chaos.

But Jesus came to give us a message of hope. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what is going to happen. He came to the earth to give us hope and a future, of prosperity and not of harm – hallelujah! Jesus went about doing good while He ministered on the earth – healing all who were oppressed of the devil. From the very beginning of His ministry, the Lord was reaching out to people as the heavenly Father directed Him on where to go each day. One day He went to a place near the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. Look at this…

Mark 5:1-17

5 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. ² And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, ³ who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, ⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. ⁵ And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. ⁷ And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”

⁸ For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” ⁹ Then He asked him, “What is your name?”

And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” ¹⁰ Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

¹¹ Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. ¹² So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” ¹³ And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

¹⁴ So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. ¹⁷ Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

This was a place filled with darkness – like much of our world today as described in Matthew chapter 24. The pigs represent people running from the Lord. They asked Him to leave them. They wanted to keep the “status quo.” They dwelled in darkness and couldn’t stand the Light. What we see in Matthew 24 today is happening because people love the darkness rather than the Light, and they are running to get away from it… 

John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus was sent to bring us salvation as we would choose to believe in our hearts that He is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead. His blood paid for our sins and is applied to the mercy seat in heaven as a testimony to His finished work – praise His name forever. But the Gadarenes wanted to run away from the Light. The Lord has done everything necessary to provide the information to them and to us so we could know how to be saved. Let’s look at another passage of scriptures…

Acts 3:18-26

¹⁸ But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.¹⁹ Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, ²⁰ and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 

²² For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴ Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. ²⁵ You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ²⁶ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

Throughout the scriptures we see a letter of love written by our God to draw people to the right way to live – toward life and godliness. He also made it very clear about what would happen to those who would not take His words seriously. Both the Old Testament and the New tell of Jesus, and His love for mankind. The Lord knew things were going to heat up on this earth before the second coming of Jesus. He sent the prophets. But the leaders (gods) killed them. Folks would not listen. Again, they loved the darkness of sin rather than the Light of life – Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ was sent as a gift to us all. He alone can comfort our hearts in the midst of all the destruction we see going on around us. When people see us living a joy filled, happy and content life, they will ask us, “Aren’t you worried about the economy?” And things like, “What are you going to do about this or that?” Within those questions lie the opportunity to tell them of the reason that we have hope in our lives…

1 Peter 3:15

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

With all the bad stuff going on around us, this is a time to show the world why we are not shaken…

Acts 2:25

²⁵ For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.

Friends, I have not watched any TV to speak of in years now. I do not watch the regular news channels. I only watch the Christian Broadcasting station occasionally to hear about what is going on globally. I do not fill my ears and eyes or heart with the terrible atrocities that are taking place. I know it is going on – that’s enough. What we need to feed on is the presence and word of the Lord. If we keep Him ever before us, we will not be shaken by the terrors of this world’s groaning’s.

Knowing His word will also help us to deal with the many false prophets that are rising up in these days and times. If we don’t know the real word of God, we can easily fall prey to that which is false. We need to know Him and His word so well that we cannot be deceived.

The poor and needy, the fatherless and afflicted all have a hope that will not be cut off. Our chapter today shows us that the Lord God will judge all the people of the earth. This includes the leaders, or “gods” as they are called in this chapter. He is coming back and everyone, no matter how big and important they may think they are, will be subject to the judgment of the Most High God. There won’t be a place they can run to. Those who are being oppressed by these “big time” Judges now, will be taken care of by the Lord.

Our God loves these precious people. The ones who are poor now will be the humblest. They may be ashamed right now because of how they are treated by wicked leaders in high places, but that won’t last. Their day is coming. Look at this promise for the downtrodden of the world right now…

Isaiah 61:7

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.

We have looked a lot at what is happening in the world around us. We have also looked closely at the way the lovers of darkness have run from the Light of the world – Jesus. We see that God is still on His throne. He has given us…

Hebrews 12:25-29

²⁵ See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, ²⁶ whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” ²⁷ Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire.

The poor and needy have hope in the end – but the wicked Judges have something to be very concerned about. This evil will not last forever. God will deal with all of it in His sovereignty at the proper time. In the meantime, His people should not be shaken by these troubles. Anyone who has placed their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior has a hope that will last throughout eternity. God is the God of justice - and mercy. To know Him is to love Him. To truly know Him deeply; intimately, is to trust Him.

Does that describe you? What are you putting your hope in during these last days? Do the judges of the land frighten you? If so, this lesson should help you to see that the Lord will take care of them. They will perish just like any other man. They put their pants on one leg at a time like anyone else – they are human like the rest of us. What they are doing now may be difficult to handle, but with Jesus, we always get the victory.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father:

Thank You for the gift of Your Son that promises us an eternal life and a heavenly kingdom that cannot be shaken. Father, I can rest peacefully knowing that You will deal justly with those who oppress the poor, while giving bright promises to those who endure to the end as Your children. Show me if I have been anxious or troubled about these things that should not move me. Help me to rest in Your promises completely in the days to come and to remember that every night I can lay down and sleep in perfect peace for You alone O God cause me to dwell in safety. Thank You Father in Jesus precious name. Amen.

There are three main points to consider from today’s study…

God is still the Judge over all the earth

The Lord will defend the fatherless and the poor

We are God’s children and belong to an unshakable kingdom

Questions:

What has been concerning you the most about the leaders of your country?

How can you pray for them?

What has been causing you to have an anxious mind as you see the signs of the times unfolding in the world around you?

What will you do differently as a result of this study?

Who can you share this study with?

Are you trusting God to help you in these times of trouble?

And God Said… You fill in the blanks.

Acts 17:30-31

 ³⁰ Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”