Psalm 125/Revelation 17:11
Trust God and Do Good till the End, the Enemies will be destroyed
Psalm 125/Revelation 17:11
Rev. 17/11 shows us that the beast and the seven heads form a power against God and the children of God. This kind of power can appear as an external oppression or temptations to God’s children. It also exists inside of us–our old nature. Our old nature is against God. Sometimes this power appears; yet sometimes it seems disappeared. Its pattern of on and off makes it hard for us to overcome it completely. Therefore, we are easy to be hurt by the enemies because they may reappear suddenly.
The power of the beast points to the ruling of the anti-Christ according to the book of Daniel. It also means the alliance of the antichrist and the false prophet. They join together to persecute God’s children by political power or deceive them by great signs. It may appear in several countries during a period of time; then disappears. But it will come back again in the same countries or different countries.
The dreadful thing about the power of the beast is that it also exists within us. The sinful or selfish desire of our old nature is an enemy against God. It is like a kind of beast. If we live according to our sinful nature, we are ruled by the power of the beast internally. The reason why many God’s children have harmed spiritually and physically by the beast is: there is the law of our nature in our inner being that works together with the beast outside of us to rebel against God. Jesus has told us that we must have two swords which mean to be alert in prayers in two aspects. One sword is to pray against the beast externally, Satan, antichrists, false prophets, and temptations of the world (the great prostitute.) The other sword is to pray against the inner enemy our old nature, such as desiring to have pleasure for ourselves, thinking of bad stuff, and getting angry or proud. Sometimes we can defeat our enemies inside or outside to love God. But many times we cannot overcome them. Then we fail to keep His words. How can we always win this war internally and externally? Psalm 125 gives us the answer. It is to TRUST IN GOD. The main point in Psalm 125 and Rev. 17/11 is: when we are honest and do good all the time and put our trust in God to keep His words, our internal and external enemies will be destroyed completely and for good.
Verse 1-2. Trust in God to keep His word firmly and you will not be harmed at all.
To trust in God is to keep His words without shaking. God said that He will surround His people so that no harm will come on them. His people mean those who keep His words. God will protect them completely and forever. But how can we trust in God? It is to watch and pray. When King Jehoshaphat was attacked by a joint force of three nations, he trusted in God. How did he trust in God? He prayed and sought the help of Almighty God. He gathered all the people and the leaders to seek help from God. He stood up in God’s temple and prayed to God that they had no power to face this great attack. He also examined himself before the Lord that he had not done anything wrong to those nations. King Jehoshaphat did not depend on himself or other method, he prayed to the greatest and almighty God for help. When they were praying like this, the Spirit of God came upon a prophet to comfort them. He told them not to be afraid and that God wanted them to march against the enemies next day. When King Jehoshaphat heard it, he believed God’s word. He bowed down to God and had faith in God and His prophets. Then King Jehoshaphat ordered men to put on holy robes and sing praise to God. As they began to sing and praise, the Lord sent ambushes against the enemies. What God did could not be seen by men’s eyes. Then, the enemies started to kill one another till no one was alive. The men of Judah had a great victory without fighting. That is why they called the valley the Valley of Beracah, which means praise.
We see it clearly from this example that to trust in God means not to depend on ourselves. We can trust in God for everything even the least thing in our lives. Here is a testimony of myself. I usually like to sleep a little more and do not want to get up early to read the Bible. No matter how I struggle by myself to get up, I can not do it. But when I look up to God for help, miracle happens. How did I look up to God? I just prayed in my heart for mercy. I prayed, “Oh God, have mercy on me. If I do not get up now to read your words and pray, I have no strength to keep your word the whole day. I will fail you. Oh Lord, have mercy on me.” Usually God would make me jump out of my bed when I said two or three times, “Have mercy on me.”
To trust in God means not to depend on your own strength. Here is another testimony of myself. Whenever I am afraid of something, I pray to God about it more. Sometimes I must meet and work with people who are very against me because of the truth. I then pray to God about it. I pray for God’s guidance for what to do and how to say. Recently, I have again experienced the “Valley of Beracah” when I trust in God. After praying and praying, God changed the heart of a couple. At first they had been against me mostly but lately they received me warmly. God used an accident to change their heart completely, from loving the world to loving God and the truth. About three months ago, the battery of their motorcycle was charging exploded in their bed room, where that couple and their son were sleeping. They were burned by the explosion and hurt seriously by the broken pieces of that battery. With pain they put out the fire by themselves and went to hospital for emergency. God used that accident to change the direction of their lives. Now they want to serve God.
I encourage you to pray to God for help whenever you are afraid. When you trust in God, you will see what you are afraid most become a great glory of God. Therefore, we must trust in God so that we will not be shaken. What does it mean “not be shaken”? It is to keep watch and pray so that we can keep God’s words FIRMLY. Here is a testimony of myself. When I was young, I always got angry easily and cried whenever my mother said something annoyed me. I could not keep God’s word before my mother. Then I started to pray earnestly about it, God gave me victory. After that, when her words made me so angry that I could jump on my feet, I prayed to God at once. God filled me up with the joy of the Holy Spirit. I did not get angry with her but laughed and prayed for my mother. God gave me strength to avoid conflicts with my mother. God gave me strength to avoid conflicts with my mother.
Therefore, it is by watch and praying that we can keep His word firmly without shaking. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can keep His words. Then, the enemies can never harm us.
The Bible said, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Rev. 12/11) Satan always threatens us with our lives if we continue to keep God’s words. But God said, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweights them all.” (2 Corinthians 4/17) Yes, it is true that sometimes Christians may lose their lives for God’s words. For example, Stephen was stoned to death for the truth. But he saw heaven opened and the Son of Man standing up to receive him.
To trust in God is to determine to keep God’s word even to the point of death by praying and watching. Then we will never be harmed by the enemies. Though we might lose our lives, our spirit will not be hurt by the enemies. We are sure to have glory of resurrection and great rewards in heaven.
Verse 2 tells us that the protection of God is both now and forevermore.
But why King Asa did not receive this promise? It is because King Asa did not trust in God till the end. At the last 5 years of his ruling, he turned to money, power and man for help. When he was ill in his feet, King Asa did not return to trust in God for healing but in doctors.
We must trust in God till the end and keep His words to the end. Then we will be protected by God both now and forever.
Verse 3-4. It tells us that the darkness will not always in power.
It has a limited time in the world. The book of Revelation tells us that the beast was given 42 months for ruling. God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. The Bible said, “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” When the darkness is in power, God’s children must not go away from the truth because of temptations of the world or persecutions of the antichrist. This is a trial of faith. We must endure it with faith and keep God’s words to the end by praying. If we continue to keep God’s words till the end and continue to do good just as Jesus, we will overcome the enemies and receive kind rewards from God. For example, Job suffered many disasters and illness, but he did not forsake the Lord. Job endured trials by faith and kept God’s words to the end. He was rewarded by double the blessings when the time of trials was over.
Verse 4 shows us that God will do good to those who continue to do good in trials. Be sure to do good till the end. It is a pity that King Asa did not keep God’s words till the end of his life. When king Israel attacked him, he did not trust in God but in man. Nor did he keep God’s words, he returned evil to evil.
Conclusion of verse 3-4 is: Those who are honest and do good, endure with faith to keep God’s words to the end, will overcome the enemies and receive great rewards. Even if sometimes we have cherished sin in our heart, God still answers us so long as we honestly pray to Him.
There was once I experienced a temptation of jealousy in China. When we could gather together secretly in China for the ministry of Home of Grace, I noticed that everyone loved one of my co-workers more than me. Whenever it was her turn to preach, everyone toke notes and recorded her message. But whenever it was my turn, it would rain and very few people would come to the meeting. I also noticed that people often fell asleep when I shared. It seemed that all the co-workers also treated her better than me. I felt people looked down on me but respected her a lot. When I led the prayer meeting, no one wanted to pray. As result of it, I was jealous of her and I even thought that God did not love me either. I felt I was of no use to God. How miserable I was. I could not tell anyone that I was jealous of my co-worker. I used to think that I loved my co-worker, but now I was jealous of her. I had no place to pray to God alone because I shared a room with that co-worker. If I went out to pray, I might be noticed by the government. What could I do? Finally, I found a grave yard and I went there to pray to God alone about it. I told God that I was jealous of my co-worker but I did not want to be jealous of her. I also told God that I felt that He did not love me either. After a little talk with Jesus, I had peace and was filled with the joy of the Spirit. I was set free from jealousy. God led me to write down the main points of Comparative Bible Study every day. These main points have been printed as books, which have helped many people to pay attention to God’s words by His grace.
But we have to bear in mind that the pattern of the beast is “once was, and now is not” and it will reappear again. When that co-worker came to America, we went together to California to serve the Lord. I met the same temptation of jealousy again. Those young people over there liked my co-worker very much. But when I tried to make conversation with them, they simply ignored me. I was so surprised that this temptation of jealousy appeared again. What should I do? I examined myself before the Lord whether I had done anything wrong to make those young people dislike me. Then I was sure that I did not do anything wrong to offend them. I had honestly reminded them about holiness when I saw that girl was too close to her boy friend which did not please God. Maybe they were angry at me because of it. But what I did was according to the Bible.
It was just then I was reading Psalm 125. God comforted me that He had delivered me before and He would save me now. What I had done for those young people was right, and I should continue to do good since I was honest in my heart to love God and His children. Then, I had great joy. Later I shared Psalm 125 with others in New York, many were encouraged by His words.
Verse 5. Those who turn to crooked ways will be punished with the evildoers.
Prophet Balaam was an example of it. His heart turned to silver and gold and good food so that he kept the Moabite leaders at his house as guests. Those people wanted him to curse God’s people. Though he knew this was not God’s will, he prayed to God about their invitation. His heart turned to crooked ways, loving the world. God warned him in the night that he should not go with them to curse God’s people. Though Balaam listened and sent back the Moabite, he did not hate what God hated. Balaam did not hate sin. He insisted in taking the crooked way. Though God permitted him go with the Moabite, God tried to save Balaam from destruction. God sent the angel to oppose him in the road. Balaam did not see it but insisted in his crooked way of seeking after the world. God used his own donkey to speak to him, and then he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. But Balaam did not repent in his heart only on his lips. At the end Balaam taught King of Moabite to seduce God’s people to commit sexual sin. And God’s anger burned against Israel. But Balaam was punished by his crooked way; he was killed by the sword at the end.
King Saul was another example of it. King Saul should have prayed to God for mercy so that he would not be jealous of David. God would have delivered him from jealousy and have given him grace. But King Saul had never confessed his sin honestly from his heart. Though he admitted he was wrong in hating David, he still wanted to kill David for jealousy. At the end God did not answer him when he prayed. He did not wait on the Lord humbly but turned to consult the mediums. He did not want to do good or to keep God’s words. King Saul insisted in taking the crooked way to the end of his life.
King Solomon’s heart was also led astray by his beautiful wives. Though he repented later, King Solomon had wasted many years of his life in worthless things. God warned him not to depend on horses or to take many wives. King Solomon insisted in the crooked way, he took many foreign wives and loved them very much.
King Asa’s heart was led astray too. He insisted on depending on the help of Ben-Hadad king of Aram when he was attacked by Israel. When he was sick at the end, he did not get help from God, but only from the doctors. King Asa did not continue to do good and to keep God’s words to the very end.
All these examples show us that those who insist in turning their hearts to the crooked way end up miserably as the evildoers. Therefore, God’s children must come out from the world, from the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does. We must come out from the Babylon so that we will not share in her punishment.
The last sentence in Psalm 125 is, “Peace be upon Israel”. God calls all who are weary and burdened come to Him, He will give them rest. Though it may take one’s life to keep His words, one can trust in God. John the Baptist even lost his head for the truth. The 11 Disciples also sacrificed their lives for Jesus. Who could afford to take the narrow way? Trust in God. Trust in God then we will have peace and strength. God will not ask us to do things beyond our ability. When we trust in God, we will have great joy and strength to follow Him.
When our Lord Jesus Christ suffered according to God’s will, he committed himself to the Father and continued to do good to the very end. Though he was crucified on the cross, he rose up from the dead on the third day. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Jesus Christ is the first fruit of resurrection. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body. If we continue to do God’s will, He is faithful. God will give us grace and strength to keep His words and to do His will to the end. God will give us great rewards in that Day.