The words are from the Prophet Micah.

And they are classic.

“Millennial,” to the core!

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19

Verse 18a is asking God a question, directly. “Thee,” a (King James Version) second person pronoun.

But nearly the rest of the Paragraph is written in third person, “He” will turn again. “He will …”

But that last Line reverts to second person, “Thou!”

Balanced, poetic!

This Text is a theology Lesson, and a beautiful one too!

Notice all God does …

He pardons iniquity. (The verb is “nasa,” to lift a load!)

He passes by transgression. (This verb is “abar” which means “to pass on,” and is the verb of that great Passover night long ago. When the death angel harmlessly flew right over the blood stained homes of the Israelites!)

He retains not His anger. “Chazaq” means “to strengthen,” God not stiffening His anger, God backing off, so to speak.

He delights in mercy. “Chaphetzs” means “to take pleasure in” something, “to desire” it to happen!

Then come four more verbs!

He will turn again, “shub.” Virtually to do a 180 degree reversal.

He will have compassion, with “racham” meaning to “feel (favorably) from the innermost part of one’s being.” it’s really the Hebrew word for “intestines!”

Next, He will subdue our iniquities, “kabash,” meaning “to press down, to bring into bondage!”

And lastly … “Thou WILT CAST all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Self explanatory! “Shalak” means “to hurl, to throw!” The deepest part of the sea is over seven miles down!

What God will do for Israel, when He comes again to earth!

When He saves them and sets up His Millennial Kingdom!

Wow, the power of verbs!

More so, the Power of God!

There is none like HIM!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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What a Name for Jesus, a Glorious Title!

One of a kind, really.

Micah uniquely calls Him “the Breaker!”

Watch as this Verse gives “hope” to the Jewish Remnant at the end of the Tribulation!

“I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The BREAKER is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.” Micah 2:12-13

The Lord God as the Quintessential Shepherd! Assuredly gathering, building His flock!

A “remnant,” but a large one at that! A “multitude of men,” the King James Version says! A “noisy” little bunch too, that happy to see Jesus? Or that broken (under conviction) for rejecting Him so long?

But now … they have been rescued, delivered! The Lord (the Breaker) has freed them from bondage of some sort! The anti-Christ’s grip?

Their “King” (None Other than the Lord Jesus) both passes “before them” and simultaneously “leads them!” Point is … they “see” Him! (He leadeth them in the paths of righteousness!)

I wonder … as in?

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7

Zechariah 12:10 (an upcoming Lesson Text, Lord willing) … “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

Matthew 24:30, part of Jesus’ great “Olivet Discourse,” pure prophecy … “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Wow!

Israel, what a nation.

Jesus Christ, what a Shepherd, Saviour, Lord!

Amen!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Does anyone today remember when Jesus “broke” into your life and “loosed” the shackles of sin that had you bound so helplessly?

Hallelujah!

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Although the total Passage (Bible Text) is longer than I am discussing this morning, one special Amos verse seized my attention.

Amos 9:11 … “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.”

This is NOT a historical event!

Therefore, if it is a literal promise, it must be fulfilled at some future time. And I strongly suggest … the Millennium!

The “tabernacle of David” could mean the house of David, meaning his dynasty. (King Jesus is of that lineage!)

On the other hand, it could mean the Temple itself! Of huge proportions, according to Ezekiel.

God as Architect!

God as Builder!

God as Protector of Israel!

Then (unplanned) a second vese spoke to my heart…

Agriculturally look at this word picture. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed.” Bumper crops, for sure, Amos 9:13.

The “reaper” (picker of fruit or harvester of grain) will be so busy (due to the exceedingly copious produce) that next year’s “plowman” will be waiting for him to finish!

That’s the Millennium!

Goodness, let me just go ahead and share the last two verses of the Amos Paragraph … “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.” Amos 9:14-14, amazing!

“No more to be uprooted!”

This is permanent!

This is Millennial!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Far be it from me to “explain away” these Promises! It indeed will be a “golden daybreak” when Jesus comes to earth again!

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That was my Son’s name, Joel. He died unexpectedly April 15, and my heart still grieves. Yet the Lord has been my Comfort during these ensuing months. Along with a Wife who has supported me through it all.

Still, our “Millennium Text” today is found in the short Biblical Prophecy of Joel. As follows …

“16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. 18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.” Joel 3:16-21

The Lord roaring and the earth shaking (verse 16) are descriptive of the Tribulation, particularly the Battle of Armageddon at the end of that 7 year “blood bath” coming to planet earth!

And look what the Lord is named there, “the Hope (and Strength) of Israel!” 

Verse 17 clearly pictures the Lord “dwelling” (Hebrew “shakan” of Shekinah Glory Fame) in Zion, in Jerusalem! This is the Millennium for sure.

And the earth itself will rejoice during those glorious days, based on verse 18 above! To this degree: “The mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD,” no doubt the River Ezekiel described in his great 47th chapter.

Anti-Semitism will be a thing of the past, too. Verse 19 illustrates: “Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.” Payback time! Isaiah 63:4 will have become a reality … “For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.”

Wow!

How long will this ideal world last? In a word, “forever!” Read verse 20, carefully.

Israel’s Salvation being the Cause of all these phenomena! “For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion,” a Promise straight from the Mouth of the dear Lord! Also verse 21 of Joel’s Paragraph.

I am telling you … virtually every Book in the Old Testament either alludes or directly prophesies of this coming Golden Age on earth.

King Jesus!

A redeemed Israel!

And a perfect ending, well no ending at all in reality! “And they will live happily ever after!”

Amen!

No wonder the hymnwriters pen words like these: “Some Golden Daybreak, Jesus will come!”

Even so … Come, Lord Jesus!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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I no longer write Lessons on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Why? Heavy (but delightful) preaching on Sundays (at least three times, most often) … and Saturdays usually set aside for driving.

But we did want to say “Happy 4th of July” to each of you.

Pray for America!

Don’t forget to watch the “Evening Meditation” later on, around 5:30 or so this afternoon. Proverbs chapter 20 …

The view outside our bedroom window is so peaceful. When home (not real often) this is what greets me every morning; birds singing and the sun (soon) rising and God’s handiwork!

Pray for us as we serve the Lord.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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