Josiah, The Last Chapter
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. (2 Kings 23:25)
Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. (Proverbs 3:30)
A boy of eight (8) years of age had served Jehovah, Judah, and Israel for thirty-one (31) years. He had been more a servant of the Lord and the people than any monarch or king in the history of Judah or Israel; yet, his kingly qualities stand with his service for the Lord. All the great things that he had accomplished are recorded for our learning. The Holy Spirit pays tribute to him in 2 Kings 23:25. A testimony that any king, or any servant of the Lord would like to have. I wish the Lord would let me close here, but that is not to be. The next chapter is the final chapter in the life of Josiah, and in so many ways his life is the final chapter of goodness for the nation of Israel. What are these ways? He was a godly king, he obeyed Jehovah with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might. He truly was a reflection of the one who was yet to come. The one who would declare ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ This, of course, would be their rejected King, the Lord Jesus Christ. I feel, in my heart, when the Lord comes to reign over Israel and the earth for a thousand years that Israel will hear from the mountain tops, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might, and Him only shalt thou serve.’
After all this . . .
In 2 Chronicles 35:20, the Holy Spirit quickens our memory and then states ‘after all this.’ We need to stop and contemplate the life of this wonderful king. For there was none like him before him, and after he was gone from this world, there would only come one who would be above him, who is the Lord of glory and who is the King of kings. After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
The history of the recovery of the nation of Judah was coming to a close. In this last godly king a true king could be seen. He had overcome all the evil that had surrounded him, he had accomplished the removal of Solomon’s deities on the mount of corruption. He had removed the sodomites from the land, he had slaughtered the pagan priests and priestesses. He had cleansed the land of all it’s defilement. No other king had accomplished such great feats. He was as true of a king that ever could be in this world. Josiah always had three great armies against him — the world, the flesh, and the devil; however, he kept his life in order for the Lord. Then Necho, ( Pharaoh Necho II) the king of Egypt came up to fight against the Assyrians at Carchemish (approx. 605 BC). This was the eastern part of the Assyrian kingdom by the Euphrates River. Pharaoh Necho had no eyes on Israel or Jerusalem. His fight was against the Assyrian king. It is recorded that Pharaoh Necho built a great navy of ships, and sailed north in the Mediterranean to an Assyrian port. He was avoiding Israel in every way. Now we read that Josiah went out against Pharaoh Necho, but Pharaoh Necho sent an olive branch, he declared that it was the Lord who sent him (Pharaoh-Necho) to Carchemish. Necho wanted to avoid all confrontation with Judah and Josiah. If we contemplate this movement of Pharaoh it might well have been to prolong the reign of Josiah and to prevent what would occur in the future with Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar.
But he ( Necho) sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. (2 Chronicles 35:21)
Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. (2 Chronicles 35:22)
The Disguise
Josiah would not be persuaded, (oh, for the Urim and Thimmim for counsel from God). In all Josiah’s study in the law of Moses, at each step of his life prior to this decision, he counseled with the Word of God, and sought counsel from God. There is not one sentence that Josiah had sought counsel from the Lord.
In a future study, we will be looking at the life of Jehoshaphat and one of his failures was his alliance with an ungodly king of the northern tribes led by Ahab. Both Ahab and Jehoshaphat went up to Ramothgilead to fight against the Syrians. Ahab disguised himself, but Jehoshaphat went out in his lead chariot with his kingly banner, and dressed in his full kingly armor so that the Syrians focused on Jehoshaphat and not on Ahab.
And the king of Israel (Ahab) said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle. (2 Chronicles 18:29)
Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel. (2 Chronicles 18:30)
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. (2 Chronicles 18:31)
For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him. (2 Chronicles 18:32)
And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. (2 Chronicles 18:33)
And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he (Ahab) died. (2 Chronicles 18:34)
The diabolical scheme of Ahab failed, for an archer at a venture drew his bow and the arrow sailed into the air. The hand of God laying hold of the shaft and guided it to it’s mark. It struck Ahab between the harnesses of his armor, just like that smooth small stone of David was a divine stone. So this arrow had the same divine character. Ahab had been warned by the prophet Micaiah not to go to Ramothgilead, and Micaiah also informed Ahab that if he returned from the battle then God had not spoken by him. So Micaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled and Ahab died in his disguise.
In the case of Josiah, we have no record of him ever disguising himself in the past. In fact, he was always an open testimony for the Lord. When he destroyed the altar at Bethel, he was there as the king of Judah, when he drove out the sodomites, he drove them out as the king of Judah. When he put to death the false priests and priestesses and burnt their bones on their pagan altars, and cast their dust into the wind, he did it as the king of Judah. Why now disguise oneself? It is almost a delusional act. His own conscience was bearing witness to himself that he was in the wrong place, so he must disguise himself. If he had approached Necho in all of his kingly glory, and at the counsel of the Lord, victory would have been sure; or if God through counsel, had told him to forbear Josiah’s kingdom would have continued. Once again, a lone archer and one arrow determined the fate of king Josiah (as it had once before been determined at the death of Ahab); and this arrow was also the deathblow of the nation of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem. Sadly Josiah could not be persuaded, he went into battle and the battle cost him his life. This was the death of a great king, and this was a tremendous battle. Although Scripture does not document the details of this battle, this battle most likely weakened the forces of Pharaoh-Necho when he returned to Carchemish and fought against the Assyrians. This was not only the loss of the mighty army of Israel and Judah under Josiah, but it also was the last great battle that the Egyptians were able to muster against the Assyrians for in the near future they would have to fight Nebuchadnezzar, and would lose that crucial battle; consequently, their defeat destroyed Egypt politically and militarily. This, of course, allowed Nebuchadnezzar to accumulate greater territories. And later, at the height of his power he would descend on Judah and Jerusalem after the death of Josiah and destroy it all. God has a way of holding back those who would invade the land of promise. He also has a way because of their unfaithfulness to open the door and to allow the invading armies to come in. So, one arrow determined the fate of king Josiah, and Pharaoh-Necho. The smallest of the weaponry, the spear was larger, the sword was greater, but this lone arrow was mightier. It was cast into the wind, and it struck the disguised sovereign who had guided Israel. Josiah had run his course. Whether a bad decision, or not, the will of the Master of Eternity guided the one arrow, and the one arrow went to it’s point, and life was gone. The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. (Isaiah 57:1)
Now in the matter of Huldah, the prophetess, the Lord had used her to tell Josiah the prophecy regarding his life that Josiah would be gathered to his fathers in peace; would be that this child of prophecy remembered her prophecy and the words of the Lord. God was quite capable of using the Assyrian king to destroy Pharaoh Necho. It was also possible for Pharaoh Necho to destroy the Assyrian king which in turn would have helped to preserve the peace of Judah and Jerusalem.
Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD. (2 Chronicles 34:27)
Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again. (2 Chronicles 34:28)
If Josiah had turned from Pharaoh Necho what would have taken place? We will never know. When Josiah, while in his palace, first heard word of Pharaoh Necho, if he had sought counsel of the Lord, what would have happened? We will never know. There had been a passing of time since the great Passover, had Josiah grown complacent in his faith? Was he going up against Necho with his own strength, and not the strength of Jehovah? Could he not be reminded to stand still and see the salvation of Jehovah? Did he believe that God was not able to divinely deliver him? We will never know.
The Times of Appointment
The Lord has a time table for each one of us, and we meet that day whether young or old. It is His appointment, it is the Lord’s time. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? (Isaiah 14:27) The good Lord likes to keep His appointments and He does. We remember the appointment at the river Jordan when Elijah had come to the end of his ministry. He had made his last round and was now ready to meet the Lord. He would go to the Jordan and with his mantle part the Jordan. Both he and Elisha would cross over, Elisha would witness the fiery chariot, and the ascension of Elijah. Elijah had kept his divine appointment with the Almighty God, and he ascended up into the glories above.
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:11)
And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. (2 Kings 2:12)
He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; (2 Kings 2:13)
And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. (2 Kings 2:14)
Elijah kept his appointment, what many of us fail to see is that it was also an appointment for Elisha as well because at the Jordan, the life of Elisha also changed when the Lord anointed him with the mantle of Elijah. Elisha cried out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. In keeping the appointment, Elisha now became the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof. He not only received the mantle of Elijah, but was empowered by the divine Spirit of God. Later, in his ministry, when the Syrians had him surrounded he prayed that the Lord would open his servants eyes, and when his servants eyes were opened he beheld the hills filled with flaming chariots of fire; and the Syrians were smitten with blindness. One side note: the servant of Elijah had his eyes opened, and the Syrians had their eyes closed, and in their blindness they were led by the hand of Elisha into Samaria and delivered to the king of Israel.
And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. (Isaiah 59:16)
For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. (Isaiah 59:17)
Isaiah 59:16 and 17 is a complex prophecy. It relates to the Lord Jesus Himself, but we have two phases in this prophecy. One is on Calvary’s cross when with the whole spiritual armor of God He defeated death, hell, and Satan, and delivered us from sin. It is also futuristic because He has clad Himself with God’s spiritual cloke, He will come again in great glory to defeat, by divine appointment, the armies of the world, and set His throne on Mount Zion. This prophecy in Isaiah 59 is complimentary to Isaiah 63, verses 1-6. For all God’s divine appointments must be met, and Josiah met his appointment at the end of an Egyptian arrow at Megiddo.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? (Romans 11:34)
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (Romans 11:35)
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
The complexity of God’s Sovereign will is shown throughout the entire Bible. The determinate counsels of God can not be changed, nor altered; they are viewed through many lives throughout the Bible, for both good and bad. God raised up Pharaoh in the days of Moses to show His Sovereign love for Israel, and to fulfill His promises that he made to Abraham. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. (Romans 9:17) In His Sovereignty God raised up Pilate to condemn His Son ‘I say.’who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Josiah, now had kept his divine appointment. Josiah was taken, the righteous was taken away from the days of evil to come. His work on earth was finished. It is not easy for any king to have a humble spirit, and a contrite heart. We see this in few of the kings of Israel. Josiah was one of the dearest because all was approached by the Word of God, except for the meeting and the battle with Pharaoh-Necho. Have we not done the same? We make a monumental decision when the Word of God cries out to counsel with God. We turn our backs and act as we have no Bible at all.
Individual and National Responsibility to the Word of God
All the sins of Manasseh were finally looming over Judah and Jerusalem. The nation had followed a man of God in Josiah; yet, their own hearts were far from the Lord.
Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; (2 Kings 24:3)
And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon. (2 Kings 24:4)
Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 36:14)
These verses, both found at the end of the history of Israel before their captivity, are simply a statement of their propensity to evil. The Lord pleaded with them till there was no remedy. How can this be? Yet, is not the God of heaven and earth pleading with the world today — with the professing church today — that they would repent and call upon His name, or can we write, till there was no remedy?
Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. (2 Kings 23:26)
And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there. (2 Kings 23:27)
When we make individual decisions, we should make these decisions based on the Word of God, and collectively the nations of the world should also make decisions according to the Word of God. They too should make their decisions based on the Word of God. For the individual bears his own responsibility, and as a nation, one bears the responsibility of that whole nation. Many a saint have perished in evil nations because of the evil decisions of the leaders of those nations. God truly takes the righteous home to preserve them from the days of evil. Our individual responsibility can be summed up in the life of Esau. He went his own way, he counseled not with his father, nor with God. When he had lost his birthright he repented with tears; however, because of his decisions his birthright was not returned to him.
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Hebrew 12:16)
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. (Hebrew 12:17)
Like Esau the children of Judah and Jerusalem had no remedy for their sin. When in Babylon and finally confronted with the result of the cold hard reality that it was for their sins that they had been forcibly removed from their land, they knelt and wept by the rivers of Babylon.
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. (Psalm 137:1)
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. (Psalm 137:2)
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. (Psalm 137:3)
How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? (Psalm 137:4)
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. (Psalm 137:5)
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. (Psalm 137:6)
Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. (Psalm 137:7)
O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. (Psalm 137:8)
Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. (Psalm 137:9)
We can be sad for Judah and Jerusalem in the loss of their last godly king, but their own sin condemned them. It was not Josiah’s action, but his departure that set the wheels of God’s judgment into their final action against Judah and Jerusalem. God had sent them prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and even in the captivity they would have Ezekiel. All through Israel’s history God raised up men, prophets, to warn them that they should repent; and yet, they turned a deaf ear. They would not repent of their evil, and now at the end of the land, for even the land must have it’s rest. They had violated all of God’s ordinances and would be in captivity for seventy (70) years so that the land could keep it’s sabbaths or year of rest. Jerusalem would be laid waste, the Temple of Solomon burnt to the ground, the walls of Jerusalem toppled and made dust, and the palace of the king plundered and burnt to the ground. This once great city of Jerusalem had become like Nineveh, laid waste to the owl, and home to the beasts of the wilderness. Only the very poorest were left in the land because they posed no threat to the powers of Babylon.
In God’s Sovereignty His curtain of justice and judgment now was hanging over the throne of Babylon, and Babylon’s day would come. In the future there is another Babylon — Babylon the great. As Babylon was destroyed for all her sins against the people of God — Israel; so the Babylon of the future will be destroyed for all her sins against the people of God. She will meet her day in one hour, all the wealth, and all the commerce, all the greatness of the city will fall to the flames of God’s judgment. Be not deceived for God is not mocked, whatsoever a man or nation sows that nation or that man shall reap the results thereof.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)
This formula that God revealed in Galatians never changes, whether an individual or a nation, God keeps the books. And there is no error or discrepancy. What is written in God’s book will determine both the final outcome or judgment of the individual, or the final outcome or judgment against the nations of this world. The only reprieve that the individual has is repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There must be the presence of the blood of Christ between the individuals sin and the Almighty God. It is only through the blood of Christ that one can be justified before God, and one must believe with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might in Jesus Christ to receive God’s wonderful salvation.
The Word Our Guide
The life of Josiah is written down in God’s book above. There is no error, God has kept each and every part of Josiah’s life. What was this life worth to Israel? At the age of eight (8), he was a testimony for God, and the fulfillment of God’ prophetic word that a child would be born to the house of David, Josiah by name. As he walked through life he walked in the ways of David turning neither to the left, nor to the right. He stayed on a divine course and submitted himself to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit; therefore, we have the wonderful record of his life in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Count how many times in the recorded history of Josiah that the Word of God is mentioned? It is mentioned in so many various ways as in the writings of Moses, as the writings of the law of Moses, as the book, then the writing of David and Solomon, the writings of the prophets, the writings of Asaph, and many more. We have a lesson presented to us by the Word of God. The book witnesses of itself, and we should take it’s witness in our own lives to be our guide. If this guide worked for Josiah, it will in turn work for us. And may I add to this, that this book of the law should not depart out of our mouth, and we should meditate in it day and night. What better place for the book of the law, for the whole cannon of Scripture to travel through and dwell in the rooms of our heart.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Psalm 1:1)
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.(Psalm 1:2)
Reading about Josiah’s life we see his meditation in the Word of God. He was familiar with the writings of David, and truly read Psalm 1 many times. Josiah’s life was only thirty-nine (39) years long. A young man cut off out of the land of the living; Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and the men and women of Jerusalem and Judah mourned for Josiah. I believe that all of Jerusalem and Judah and Jeremiah had realized, in the fullness of their souls, who and what they had lost; however, his sons were no reflection of their father, for they all walked in the ways of evil and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. (2 Kings 24:9)
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. (2 Kings 23:36)
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. (2 Kings 23:37)
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. (2 Kings 24:8)
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. (2 Kings 24:9)
The nation had slid into the darkness of it’s prior evil almost instantaneously at the point of Josiah’s death. Evil overcame them, and the hand of the Lord dispersed them in chains to Babylon. If we are to learn from the life of Josiah and what took place after his death, we must lay hold of the Word of God for every hour of our lives. The Word of God can cause us to escape evil as it is a guide through this present evil world.
The Open Door
The Lord speaking in the Book of Revelation told His angel over the Church of Philadelphia ‘I have set an open door before you, that no man can shut.’-10)
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Revelation 3:7)
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (Revelation 3:9)
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
All was night and darkness around the Philadelphian Church, but like Josiah the Holy Spirit began to work in the hearts and minds of men. The Holy Spirit opened the door that had been shut by the apostate and false church. This door was opened by the bright and morning star, the Lord Himself, and no man can shut this door. We have the written Word of God before us in these last days of Church history. Like Josiah’s day, the Philadelphian Church found the book, only a book; yet, how many countless lives have been carried into the bosom of God by it’s unsearchable words. There are two sides to a door, in the case of Josiah’s day the door from Amon to Josiah had been opened. On Amon’s side it was a door to conceal the light of the Word of God so that the children of Israel were living in darkness. With Josiah, he opened that door to the Word of God, and to life and light to the people of Israel. The Lord gives the Philadelphian Church an open door. In Sardis, the previous Church, the Lord Jesus said to them, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (Revelation 3:1)
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Revelation 3:7)
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (Revelation 3:9)
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
There was very little light in the Church of Sardis. This historical church lived in darkness and the Word of God was controlled and hidden by evil men. The Lord reminds them in Sardis that even though they have a name that they had life, although in reality, they were dead to the things of God. In fact, they lived in so much darkness that the Lord in verse 2 of Revelation 3 had to tell them that the very things that they held were ready to die. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (Revelation 3:2) The majority of those in the age of the Church of Sardis were ignorant of the Word of God. They were lost souls following tradition and spiritual wickedness in high places. In all the known world there were few who held a knowledge of the Word of God, and most of them were in great peril for their life and liberty. In the days of Josiah there was darkness all around this king, when the book of the law was found a spiritual and knowledgeable door was opened by the Spirit of God. There was a great recovery during the life of Josiah, and in comparison after Sardis reached it’s full spiritual depravity the Lord Jesus Himself, the Living Word of God, opened an effectual door for the Church of Philadelphia. This door, although opened, gave them little strength in their own beings. It has been the Spirit of God that has been quickening souls in the Philadelphian age. In this age there have been many who have heard the Word of God in it’s purity; yet, like those in Josiah’s day few have taken it into their hearts and souls. The little strength means little in numbers. As the Israelites existed on Josiah’s spiritual strength, so many today have traveled through life on the spiritual strength of others. Men of God have been given by the Spirit of God to hold the door open, but as we grow closer to the end of Church history the Spirit of God is allowing this door to close once more. I urge each and every child of God to not only study this book, but make it their own. Make it your own in life, in your heart, in your soul, and in the very fiber of your being; if you do, you will realize that only what you do by the book, and for the book will go with you into eternity.
From the text to the Philadelphian Church it is the Lord who opens the door. He also stated that He is the one who will close the door as He closed the door in Josiah’s day, after the death of Josiah there was no king who lived by the Word of God. The Word of God seems to have vanished once again. For the Word of God is not mentioned in the lives in any of the remaining kings of Judah. God shut the book on Israel, but He did not shut the door.
The Two Existing Churches
Now to our age, we have two (2) churches that exist simultaneously: one is Laodicea, the church of the world (the masses) with worldly strength, worldly popularity, worldly wealth, and worldly deceptiveness. To combat this Laodicean Church, God has kept a remnant of Philadelphians Christians in this world, this is the second of the two churches. In my own history when I grew up we read the Bible in school, this was public school. We prayed in school — public school; however, evil and ungodly men have ripped the Word of God out of our children’s hearts, and these public schools no longer exist under the control and influence of parents, but became government indoctrination centers. It does not end here, Churches at one time enjoyed Bible readings when one by one saints would read the Scriptures to those who were present, but evil and ungodly men took that away. As I live, I see more of the godly hymns that were sung in reverence and godly fear have been replaced with unscriptural hymns on flat screens. Once hymns were sung from the heart to glorify God, now hymns are sung to entertain ourselves and to make us feel good about ourselves. Let’s mask our sins and fall into the grips of hell because we have no knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The old hymns must have been ripped up and thrown in the trash, or maybe, the old hymns brought too much conviction to the souls of men. The belief today is we should all worship together, both the godly and the ungodly. May I remind you that Josiah had nothing to do with the ungodly, in fact, he destroyed those who opposed Jehovah. Even though we live in the dispensation of grace we are not to worship, or to have spiritual communion or fellowship with darkness or the evil of this world. We are to come out from among those who have replaced the Bible with man’s tradition, and a man-made salvation. We are to sing from the heart, as Paul told us, with godly hymns and to the glory of God. Yes, the things that we held dear have been replaced by the Babylonian garment and the wedge of gold of Achan (‘he that troubleth’).
Laodicea of Babylon – The Last Chapter of Church History
The Lord Jesus in the Book of Revelation speaks to His angel again, and He gives a new message to this angel.
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;(Revelation 3:14)
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. (Revelation 3:15)
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16)
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Revelation 3:17)
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:18)
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:19)
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)
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 3:21)
As the Lord spews this Church out of His mouth, we see this Church, Laodicea, as a prelude to Babylon the great because the Church of this world is surely in captivity. They have been captivated by Babylon, and the great door of liberty and light that was opened in Philadelphia is coming to a close in Laodicea. Remember that before Josiah Israel was in spiritual darkness, they awoke in the day of Josiah, and at his death went back into spiritual darkness. The door that was opened in Philadelphia is slowly closing on this Laodicean Church. The next door to open will be the door in heaven when the true Church, the real saints of God, will be taken out of this world and translated into the presence of the Lord. While I draw the breathe that the Lord has given me, I will not surrender to the great whore Laodicea of Babylon. I will hold fast the Word of God’s glory in the cross of Christ. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Galatians 6:14)
As the last chapter was written in Israel’s history after the death of Josiah, the history of Laodicea of Babylon is the last chapter in Church history. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, (2 Corinthians 6:17) . Amen
This was taken from the study of king Josiah. If this has perked your curiosity then just click this link.
© Copyright 2016, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)