Ten Years Warning ?

735 B.C. - Ahaz was king of Judea, the Southern Kingdom. The nations of Aram and Israel, the Northern Kingdom, came against Jerusalem and the hearts of Ahaz and the people were shaken as trees are shaken by the wind. (Isaiah 7:2) The Lord instructed Isaiah to take his son and meet King Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct. Ahaz was probably inspecting the city’s water supply in anticipation of an attack.

The Lord told Ahaz that the plans of the king of Aram and the king of Israel “will not happen.” (Isaiah 7:7) He further stated that within sixty-five years Ephraim (Israel) will be too shattered to be a people (a nation). (Isaiah 7:8) Historians tell us that this happened in 670 B.C. when Assyria deported the Ten Tribes of Israel. This date confirms that the prophecy was made sixty-five years earlier, in 735 B.C.

Through the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord gave the “dual-layer” prophecy “a virgin will give birth to a Son and will call Him Immanuel, or God with us.” (Isaiah 7:13), and “Before the child can judge right and wrong (at age 13) the two kings (of Aram and Israel) will be laid waste.” (Isaiah 7:16)

734 B.C. - The next year Isaiah’s wife gave birth to a son. This was obviously not the virgin birth prophesied, because Isaiah already had one son which he took with him to meet Ahaz (assuming the same wife). History tells us in 722 B.C., Samaria (Israel) was captured and deported by the king of Assyria. The son born in 734 B.C. would have been twelve years old in 722 B.C. and not considered to be of the age of accountability, or able to judge right from wrong. This confirms the 734 B.C. birth date.

Also, when Isaiah’s son was born in 734 B.C. the Lord told the prophet, “before the child can speak (age 2?) the spoils of Damascus (Aram) and Samaria (Israel) will be taken away by the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 8:4) This action against the two countries was done in 732 B.C., again confirming the 734 B.C. birth date of the son.

732 B.C. - As prophesied, in 732 B.C. Damascus and Samaria were defeated by Assyrians. The northern tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali particularly suffered (Isaiah 9:1) Look at what the Lord said, and Israel’s attitude regarding the Lord’s warning and judgement:

“The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel.
All the people will know it. Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria who say with pride and arrogance of heart,
"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the sycamore trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars." - Isaiah 9:8-9

Samaria (Israel) arrogantly said, “The bricks may have fallen, but we will rebuild even bigger and better.” The Lord tried to get the attention of Israel, but they continued to trust in themselves and ignore God. The Lord told Israel in 734 B.C. what would happen through the Prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 8:4) Israel received a warning through the defeat by Assyria in 732 B.C.

722 B.C. - Ten years later, in 722 B.C., Israel had not changed their ways and was captured and deported by the Assyrians. The result of this action is the legendary “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” The Ten Tribes of the Northern Kingdom were sent all over the Assyrian Empire. You may recall that recently the Tribe of Manasseh was found in India.

From the warning of the Lord (732 B.C.) until the capture and deportation of Israel (722 B.C.) was ten years.

September 11, 2001 is date that everyone knows. The terrible, cataclysmic event of that day has become a marker in the history of the United States. Some say that it was a warning to America. The very next day after 9/11, on September 12, 2001, Senator Tom Daschle quoted from Isaiah 9:10, “The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones.” Senator Daschle continued with five statements:

  1. That is what we will do.
  2. We will rebuild.
  3. We will recover.
  4. The people of America will stand strong together.
  5. And (we) will stand with you.

Senator John Edwards used the very same prophetic passage in a speech on September 11, 2004.

The use of this passage is frightening because it is not a passage of comfort, but a passage of judgment. The Lord told Israel that He was sending judgment against them, but they arrogantly replied that they would rebuild even better than before. Here in the United States, it was determined that the World Trade Center should be replaced by a larger, more impressive, even better building with a total height of 1776 feet.

The United States has rebelled against the Lord. Our nation has killed, or aborted, millions of innocent children; has removed His name and even recognition of His name from all government activities, and; has turned its back on the tiny nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. Tom Daschle’s five “we will” statements are reminiscent of Satan’s five “I will” declarations in Isaiah 14:13-14. America did not get the message.

It is now 2010. It has been nine years since our 9/11 warning. America has not repented. Will the Lord only give us ten years, as He did Israel, before further, or complete, punishment? The answer is here:

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. – Second Chronicles 7:14

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