π‘✞ Slumber: In-Depth Bible Study
π‘✞ Slumber: In-Depth Bible Study π
π✨ Slumber — Bible Study with Pastor Arnold Murray ✨π
πΊ This Bible study, led by Pastor Arnold Murray of Shepherd’s Chapel, explores the spiritual condition of “slumber” described in π Romans 11:8 and explains why many people struggle to understand or accept God's truth.
π΄ The Spirit of Slumber (8:10 – 13:00)
π Romans 11:8
Pastor Murray examines the Greek word katanyxis, describing a condition of spiritual lethargy, dullness, or numbness.
πͺ➡️π΄ He compares it to a limb that has "fallen asleep" because of poor circulation:
π€ Spiritual blindness can develop when people neglect God's Word.
π A lack of diligent Bible study leads to spiritual weakness.
π People may see physically but fail to perceive spiritual truth.
⚠️ Spiritual numbness can prevent understanding of God's plan.
π± The remedy is consistent study, prayer, and seeking wisdom through Scripture.
π₯ The Remnant and God's Plan (4:40 – 7:15)
π Romans 11
Pastor Murray emphasizes that:
✨ God's plan of salvation has never changed.
π God has always preserved a faithful remnant.
π₯ Like the 7,000 in Elijah's day, faithful believers remain even during widespread apostasy.
π️ Salvation operates according to God's grace and purpose.
π No matter how dark the world becomes, God always has faithful servants carrying His truth.
π The Covenant — God's Contract with His Children (18:00 – 24:10)
π Deuteronomy 29
Pastor Murray describes the Bible as:
π A love letter from our Heavenly Father.
π€ A covenant agreement between God and His children.
Believers are encouraged to:
π Study God's instructions carefully.
❤️ Understand His promises and expectations.
π‘️ Follow His guidance for protection and blessing.
π Develop a closer relationship with Him.
✨ The covenant reveals God's love, wisdom, and plan for humanity.
π The Role of the Watchman (27:30 – 31:00)
π― A watchman must remain spiritually awake and alert.
Pastor Murray teaches that believers should:
π️ Watch world events through the lens of prophecy.
π Compare current events with Scripture.
⚠️ Recognize spiritual deception.
π️ Remain grounded in God's Word.
π He strongly rejects the idea that the Book of Revelation is impossible to understand.
π Revelation means "unveiling" or "revealing."
✨ According to the teaching:
God's truth is meant to be understood.
Revelation was written to reveal future events.
Faithful students of Scripture can comprehend its message.
π Key Lessons
✅ Stay spiritually awake.
✅ Study God's Word daily.
✅ Understand God's covenant.
✅ Watch world events through biblical prophecy.
✅ Trust God's unchanging plan.
✅ Remain part of the faithful remnant.
✅ Do not allow spiritual slumber to dull your understanding.
ππ Final Thought
π God desires His children to know His Word, understand His plan, and remain spiritually alert.
π Stay awake.
π Keep studying.
π️ Walk in truth.
✨ Remain faithful.
"Watch ye therefore." — π Mark 13:37 ✝️✨
**Pastor Arnold B. Murray**
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π‘✞ Slumber:
To slumber. You know, we're going to analyze this a little bit. Many of us wonder: when you plant so many seeds and so few of them grow, what happened? Okay, I mean, you know what you're talking about. It's biblical. It's the traditions and doctrine that Christ taught us. Why isn't it accepted? Why can't people just grab on to it? So let's go to Romans chapter 11, and let's pick up on some of the teachings of Paul and see what we might gain from the Word. Why are people... why can't they understand the simplicity which is in our Father's Word?
Romans chapter 11, verse 1, a word of wisdom from our Father, and it reads: "I say then, hath God cast away His people?" God forbid. For I also, Paul speaking, I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. So Paul was a Benjamite; he was not of the tribe of Judah, but he's one that God picked in Acts chapter 9, verses 1 through 15, to be an ambassador, a teacher of both Israel, the kings and the queens, and the Gentile. He opened this message up to everyone. As a matter of fact, this particular chapter explains when Christ paid the price on the cross that salvation was open to everyone. And do you know something? God had this plan from Satan's fall, even in the first Earth age. The plan of salvation. Paul giving his credentials that God doesn't forsake anyone, not the house of Israel, not any house, that His plan is right on schedule, right on time. And it is our duty to understand that plan as best we can.
Verse 2: "God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew" — that means knew from before. "Know ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias?" (this is to say Elijah), how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying... This is what he said, verse 3: "Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, digged down Thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life." They're after me. He didn't have too much to worry about inasmuch as God touched him. You know, he was... and do you know many would say, "Well, was there something special about Elijah?" No, he just understood prophecy, and he called it the way he saw it. And naturally, God's prophecy always comes to pass as it is written. That's why it's important that you have eyes to see and that you have ears to hear the simplicity in which that prophecy is given, because it's like reading tomorrow's newspaper way beforehand.
All right, verse 4: "But what saith the answer of God unto him?" What did God say about this? I mean, Elijah was kind of on a pity party that day; he was just saying, "They're all after me, why don't you just kill me, take me and be done with it?" You know, and God said, "We got a long way to go, buddy. We're going to get it done. You're going to get it done." Okay, this is what God said: "I have reserved to myself 7,000 men" (no gender, that's mankind) "who have not bowed a knee to the image of Baal." And know they never shall; they will make a stand. The Baal, of course, being the worship of Antichrist, is not going to happen.
Verse 5: "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." Now what time was that? Well, it was approximately 60 A.D. He said they're here right now. There is a remnant that knows the truth, that knows the plan of God, that knows the false Messiah is going to appear first, that knows there will be witnesses stand against him, that I have 7,000 election. Seven means spiritual completeness; it means that complete number is in perfection. And with all the kings and the queens of the ethnos along with it, that will make that stand. And anyone that has that truth, that passes that truth on, in a sense is a form of that Elijah ministry that turns the hearts of the children back to the Father.
It's amazing how this follows that song. That's how Father times things. We didn't collaborate this, okay, or coordinate it — maybe I should say that's the way the Spirit works. But our Father uses whomever He will, those especially He foreknew, knew from before. Naturally it speaks of the first Earth age. Do you realize how special you are that you even know there was a first age? Do you know that most people, most well-educated people, do not know nor understand that there was an Earth age before this one? And look how much you lose in understanding if you're not aware of that. You understand why there are dinosaur remains; you understand why the Earth is millions of years old — the Bible says so, because you're familiar with it. That's beautiful, yes.
Even a remnant back in the year 70 A.D. had the truth, and they have passed it on from generation after generation to come down to the generation that would accomplish that. That God answered Elijah. Um, verse 6: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." By election, okay? By election, foreordained.
Verse 7: "What then? What are we going to say? What can you say about this? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election" — that's those elected — "hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." That is to say, they were hardened; they couldn't see. Then you wonder why when you plant a seed it isn't taken. Many are hardened. You know, I could put it a different way: they don't care. They just don't care. They feel it's insignificant because of the brainwashing that is done through media, religious so-called teachers, and so forth, until people's minds are hardened.
Verse 8 — listen carefully, this is why we came here — according as it is written (I mean, it should be no surprise to you, it's written): "God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this day." Now there's something real special about this. We know that this word "slumber" also means "stupor," but it means more than that, and it's something you really need to understand to be able to understand people and why they have difficulty hearing you. This word "slumber" in the Greek is *katanuxis* — *kat-an-ox-is* — and it means a prickling sensation, as limbs asleep. It means stupor, it means lethargy. If you ever had an arm go to sleep and you say "Arm, raise up!" and it goes down, and you can feel the prickling sensation and everything — that's the spirit He gave their mind. And it's important that you know that there's a difference in just being asleep and having that lethargy, having that mind that goes that way when it should be going that way. And why did God send this spirit upon them? Because they wouldn't listen in the first place. They did not care. Our Father is very, very sensitive to people whether they love Him or not, okay.
It's amazing to me what people expect of God. They expect Him to be there — "Don't bother me, God, unless I'm in trouble and I need you." You know, that's the attitude: "Don't call me, God, I'll call you." I mean, if one of your kids did that to you, what would you do? Write that sucker out of the will right now. Well, that's kind of what God does, okay? He just writes you right out of the will, right out of your inheritance. Why? 'Cause He won't put up with it. And then you who want to save the world — "I'm going to go out and plant seeds to people that God has absolutely made their little old mind go to sleepy, sleepy" — okay, I mean, it's got tingly, little prickly feelings running through it and it won't do what it's told to do, and you're going to save the world. Naturally, by the Holy Spirit, you keep planting those seeds — that's wonderful, you're obeying God — but don't be disappointed if people don't hear you the first time, because their limbs, meaning their mind, has gone to sleep on them.
But do you know something? Have you ever noticed that when your arm or something goes to sleep and it's just angling there, it won't do what you want it to, that it always gains back its normal operation and you have feeling in it again? If you keep planting seeds, that's what will happen. But you know something? Most often it's not going to happen until you're delivered up, and when the Holy Spirit begins to speak through you, those people you've planted seed are going to say, "Wow, they told me that was going to happen, and it is happening just like they said it would." That limb comes back to life, and that mind begins to vivaciously operate. So you see, there's a time and a place and a season for everything. So when someone — when God sends a particular spirit, it's there, and man's not going to do a whole lot about it. But do you know why He sent that spirit? So that Israel went to sleep a little bit, but salvation was opened up to the whole universe, that is to say, whomsoever will, whoever will believe. In other words, it was a good purpose for a good reason, and at the same time correcting those that needed correction.
Okay, so again, *katanuxis* — the prickly sensation. Many people confuse translating this word because it can mean "pierce," okay? So it's a tough one, but that gives you a clear and a better understanding of slumber, of how it happens, because it's happened to you. It's happened to all of you that some limb went to sleep when you were sleeping crooked or whatever causes it, okay? It's lack of circulation, okay. It happens to you, and I suppose we could, if we were really to take this to the analogy that God would have us take it to — your arm goes to sleep because of lack of circulation, and your mind goes to sleep because of lack of knowledge, lack of true teaching. And it's going to take it a while when that happens to wake up, to even catch up. Do you know that many people, if you told them there was an Earth age before this, you turn them off? "Friend, what kind of nonsense is that?" And they'll just turn you off; they don't want to know, they don't want to learn it.
It is amazing to me: we go on documentaries with universities and college students. When they find out where Shepherd's Chapel is, "What are you Christians doing out here?" "Because we're dealing with stuff millions of years old." And our answer is always, "Because it's here, then it's also in God's Word." And you know, we've never had a group of college young people that we worked with that weren't a lot better to us when we left than when we got there, okay, because they love it. They love truth; that's why they're out there searching themselves. This life is a hunt for truth, a hunter for knowledge and wisdom and understanding. How does that work? Even as little children, many people go through that stage of questioning, and they'll ask a thousand questions a day — you know, "Why does the moon go up?" Really intelligent things, you know. But that's the way children grow, and that's the way adults grow as well.
So just as an arm goes to sleep because of lack of circulation, by having that circulation cut off, so does the mind. Not only it goes to sleep because God has sent that spirit of non-knowledge to them, of non-interest, and overall it has — it is a safety valve also that would keep someone from seeing the truth and still may be bowing to the false Messiah, which would be the unforgivable sin — though that's for our Father to know, okay, and to protect. And then in the Millennium, they have that opportunity to gain salvation. So there we have it. We know with that slumber that their eyes are closed; there's nothing we can do about it at that time. But that means we keep working. We work when it's too tough for anyone else to plow — we can plow, okay? We can cut it. Why? Because we have the truth. We have the message. We know why that limb went to sleep, and we know what it takes to wake it up. Our Heavenly Father's words to give them from that slumber: eyes to see and ears to hear.
Verse 9: "And David saith, Let their table be made a snare" — where they actually take their food from, spiritual food, let it become a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. And uh, verse 10: "Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway." And so it was, and so it is. That's not the way — it always comes back to life, and that truth will seep in. How can you say that? It's biblical. I would ask you: how many knees bow to Christ on the first day of the Millennium? Every knee. All of them. Every last one springs to life, sees the truth. Too bad they won't hang on to it, because we know about the end of the Millennium; many fall away from it. Sad but true.
Now, anytime that God said — don't you know it's written? Nothing new about this. It is written about this — limbs going to sleep, about people's minds going to sleep. So where is it? Well, let's go to it, all right. Let's find out, let's know what was written. Deuteronomy chapter 29, right before the great song of Moses. Basically Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 1. Let's go with it. And it reads: "These are the words of the covenant" — that's this saying, this is God's contract with mankind. You can count on it, it's your deal, okay — "which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horeb." In other words, it's My contract: you keep your end of the contract, I keep My end. Do you know that God always does that? I don't know why people get their lives in such a mess, such a mess, when all they have to do is abide by the contract. That's what a covenant is — it's an agreement. And God always keeps His word.
Do you, verse 2: "And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land." I mean, you saw the time that Aaron's staff turned into a serpent; you saw the time that water was turned to blood; you saw the time that God corrected Pharaoh by even taking one of his sons and freeing you all. He set you free. That's what God intends to do — is to free you from anxiety, to free you from upset, to free you from Satan, is through His Word, through the truth. God keeps His contract. Do you? It's important that you do. Well, what is my contract? This letter He wrote you. It's a letter of love, instructing you, leading you, loving you, protecting you, making you prosperous, making you a child of God. So He said, you live to see all those things happen. You saw, you observed the Red Sea open and Israel crossed on dry ground, and then He drowned that bunch, okay? You observed it.
Verse 3: "The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles" — you had eyes to see that. Let me ask you something: would your faith be stronger if you had seen that actually happen? You know, with God giving the instructions, the pillar of fire by night, the cloud by day, protecting between the enemy and them. Of course you would. Some of them didn't, okay.
Verse 4: "Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day." You can't understand the Father's plan and what's happening — that's what he's telling them, but he had saved them. You know, I really find it difficult in my mind to understand how they could have rebelled against him so quickly when his plan of salvation — saving them from tyranny, saving them from savage slavery and freeing them — and they still grumbled. I mean, sometimes I think you could really bake some people a wonderful cake and they'd grumble about it, you know. I don't know, sometimes people are like that. But that's fine, that's good — you know that's the way people are because of the hard knocks in this old world. But don't you be that way. God has given you eyes to see; God has given you ears to hear. You enjoy what you hear. It's His letter, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, giving you the instructions and the roadmap to peace and contentment in life.
Verse 5: "And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you." I kept those clothes fresh. You know what would you do if God did that for you — kept your clothes just like brand new, fresh and clean, forty years? That's a lot, okay. And um, "and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot" — you didn't have to go to the cobbler; I mean, I fixed it, I made it smooth sailing for you out there. And He even fed him with manna. Verse 6: "Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the Lord your God." You know I'm taking care of you. That's His contract. And don't pull away from that contract today, that promise that He has made. Do you know what He wants you to do — to hold up your end — to love Him. That's the main thing He wants from you, is your love, because He is your Father. He has done all these things for our people from the beginning of time, for all people, provided that salvation, that plan. And that plan is right on time, that plan is right on schedule, and you're a part of it. You keep that contract. You keep that covenant.
Let's go to the book of Isaiah chapter 29. Here also is where it was written, and it is — strange, we covered this in — I can't remember which lecture, but not too long ago, because it has to do with "Ariel," which is a Hebrew word that means "lion" or "hearth," and it speaks of Jerusalem. And it's talking about the hearth of God where He can kind of turn the heat up a little bit if He so chooses, and sometimes He does that. But to us who love Him, that hearth or that — He becomes the Lion of the tribe of Judah, which means Jesus Himself. And through the Holy Spirit that accompanies Him, rather than heat, you feel the warmth of His love, of His Holy Spirit, that you are guided by it, that you are led by it.
We're going to pick it up here in this subject to Jerusalem — Ariel, meaning lion — in the ninth verse to come, come back to the slumber, for He said it is written and so it is. Verse 9: "Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink." What do you think's making them stagger? Verse 10: "For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath He covered." They stagger because their legs are asleep — that's the analogy. You know, have you ever tried to — you know, your leg goes to sleep because you've been sleeping crooked or something, and you jump out of bed and the leg's not there? You know, it's kind of like a wet noodle hanging down there, okay. He said that's what's happening to you. They're not drunk; they have that spirit, that prickly sensation of having gone to sleep. And He wants us to take that analogy and apply it to the mind — that you need to be sharp, you need to accept God's Word.
You know what amazes me? That He laid that out pretty good, and then you got people that will say, "I want to interpret that for you." Good heavenly days, God gave you the interpretation. Why would you want man to mess it up? Okay, I don't understand that why some people think that — now, if God speaks a parable, then that's good, you need a teacher sometimes or some friend to help you straighten that out. But when God Himself gives an analogy, you don't need an interpreter. You know something? You can take God's Word for it. He loves you, and I'll tell you something quite frankly: He doesn't like it when you question Him. He expects you to not be asleep. He expects you to be on watch — that means with eyes open and ears hearing what the events that are transpiring, in case He needs you to accomplish something. But you see, Christ is not coming back to straighten out this world first. He's going to sit by the side of God until all His enemies are made His footstool, meaning God has some election that He intends to do it, okay, to speak against the false monopoly that Satan will bring upon the people with the closed ears and the closed eyes. And that's when people begin to come to wake.
Verse 11: "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed." I wonder how many preachers said, "I would love to teach Revelation, but it's sealed — sealed tighter than a doornail. Whatever that is, we just can't. And besides, you don't have to understand it, you're going to be gone." Well, isn't it amazing? You know, it doesn't take a very bright — you don't have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you studied any language at all, to know that "Revelation" means "reveal, uncover." If it were supposed to be sealed, it would have been titled "Sealed" or something of that nature, but it's not named "Sealed," it's named "To make known." Now I would be ashamed as a pastor to take a book that is titled "To make known" — it's wide open, uncovered — and say, "It's sealed." Yep, that's right. This is Reverend Leroy from the Ozarks telling you it's sealed. It sure is not. Okay, don't you believe Reverend Leroy, okay, from the Ozarks or anywhere else. It means "revealed." It's wide open for you to understand. So there are seals in the Book of Revelation, and that is simply to have God's seal in your forehead — that means knowledge. Do you understand now that you have good circulation in the mind if it's not sealed? If you have the seal of God in it, there's seven of them, okay, of the events of the end time of exactly how it's going down, and you're not brain-dead or asleep if you have that seal. So don't ever let anyone tell you that the Word of God is sealed. That's a poor excuse for saying, "I don't understand it." And in the licity, it's read — written — how could they not understand it anyway? Another time, another subject. But um, never let someone lay that trip on you.
Verse 12: "And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned" — he won't read it either.
Verse 13: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth" — "I've been a Christian, been a Christian all my life." "Well, why do you live like you do then?" "Well, I don't know, what are you talking about?" Okay, now I'm not saying you're not supposed to enjoy life; that's a fluke when someone tells you you got to go by all the do's and the don'ts. Okay, now I got in trouble last week about do's and don'ts on makeup and stuff like that — I'm not going there this week, okay, not going there. Um, I think women look pretty with or without makeup, and that's their business whether they want to wear it or not, as far as I'm concerned. "And with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." Do you know what the precepts of men — I remember now why we were here recently — traditions of men, okay? Not God's Word, but what men have said: "It's sealed, don't worry, you're going to fly out of here anyway like a butterfly. You get this gospel armor on and it's got a jetpack, you just pull the cord, you're out of here." I think it says the gospel armor is to put on and stand against the fiery darts of Satan, isn't that right? That's what I thought it said. Okay, be careful of men and their precepts, their doctrine.
But um, I'm going to go back to women's makeup for a minute, okay. I'll live really risque today. The real reason that it's even written in the Word, which I did not explain in that lecture, is that there was a certain paint that was used on the eyes that said, "I'm available, I'm for hire." Okay, it was the marking of a prostitute. And what He's saying is, don't wear that. Okay, that's a no-no, okay? And it didn't say anything about a little rouge, or it didn't say anything about basic makeup or anything in that. Just watch that purple eye makeup. Here we go, all right, I knew it — I knew I was going to take that — leave that alone.
All right, verse 14: "Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." It's going to — they're going to be fooled. And you know, it's really kind of that way. Let's look at our judges. You know, a judge is supposed to be wise so that you have just law. And you're hearing this report of a person murdered a child, okay, five years old, six years old, and in a stupor: "How are we going — they're going to do it again if we let them out. What are we going to do with them?" Kill them, okay — execute them — and then the children are safe. But you see, where did wisdom go? You know where did wisdom go? Anytime a person takes the life of an innocent child, they're not fit for society. And the Bible says in Deuteronomy 19, "Send them up here to Me, I know what to do with them." But our wisdom — it's gone out; it flew the coop, you know. I mean, how can — the money we spend on law enforcement, wonder what it's going to do with a criminal of that nature. You know, shoot — far down in Texas, they knew what to do about that a long time ago. All you need is a good tree, you know, and it is over. All right, now I know a lot of people may think I'm being kind of smart-alecky about that, but it's God's law. He said, "Do this, and others will see, and these things will stop happening." And then you'll have people say, "Why does God let this happen?" God's law says hang them, or do something to them that takes their snuff — their little gourd out, okay — get rid of them. And you know something? They'll never bother another child that way. Isn't that swift? You know, isn't that intelligent? I use that as an example of how — and boy, am I going to start into politics — no, I'm not. But we have these three great branches of our government, and they're supposed to be — I mean, we have men and women in harm's way, we got a war going on, and they're wondering about who spilled the beans about something that is so unimportant that it's pitiful, and it has taken up dollars and time when minds that we've elected to be there to take care of business — you know, it's kind of like fiddling while Rome burns, okay? Anyway, digression, I guess so. Okay, but anyway, our wise men are on vacation. It's a good thing we got smart women huh, around.
All right, therefore verse — um, verse 15, let's go with it: "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" Don't you ever think God even knows what they're thinking? You know, you can't hide anything from our Father. He's the one that made the contract. "Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?" Didn't know what he was doing. Um, you know, that's like saying, are you going to try to tell God what to do? You know, when your body is made out of clay — organic minerals from food that you have taken in, and it's from the earth — okay, you're a pot, okay? Um, and it gets broken sometimes. But you know who made you? I would advise you not to talk back to Him if you want any blessings at all in life. Don't tell God how to run things. Read His letter and fall in line and help Him run things, okay? Got that? That's what He wants. He wants your eyes open, He wants your ears open, He wants you to be a servant of His, a fellow worker, a worker that can get it done, that can cut it. And that's what He looks for — not somebody that goes the opposite way and tries to argue with what God has done. Such as we use the example: "Why does God let this happen?" God doesn't let it happen; He told us what to do about it to keep it from happening. And until we fulfill our part of that covenant, it's going to keep going, all right. But He gave us the solution, and that solution is real easy to follow.
Verse 17: "Is it not yet a little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?" God is saying, you know, it's not very long and I'm going to bring all this back into order. Lebanon means "white" — it means "White Mountain," okay. And things begin to straighten out in Lebanon quite recently, a little bit. And our Father is still on the throne, and He's still in control.
Verse 18: "And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness." We're going to teach them; they're going to see that. And the truth grows and grows, and people are starving to hear real truth. And as that opens up, our Father keeps His word, and it's time. It is time.
Verse 19: "The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord" — that's to say, the oppressed and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Hey, He's ours. He is ours. He is our Father. "For the terrible one is brought to nought" — you know who's going to do it? You are, when you witness against him with the help of the Holy Spirit, in Mark chapter 13 for those that are not familiar with it. "And the scorner is consumed, and all that watch" — what does it mean, watch? Do you know what that means? That means keep awake, okay, for that. "Watch for iniquity" — that's to say crime — "or cut off." They don't have that time to plan crime, verse 21, to complete that — "make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate" (that's the judge; you're supposed to have honest judges) "and turn aside the just for a thing of nought." God says, "I'm getting tired of it. I'm going to stop it. I'm going to fix it." And that time is coming right upon us.
In closing, I want to go to one other place if I may — Acts chapter 2, where both the sons and the daughters shall witness, shall testify, especially those that are not asleep. Acts chapter 2, this is a kinship word to *katanuxis*; it comes from that word. And it's when those sons and daughters spoke, and then Peter stood up and he began to teach those that had wronged the Christian, okay. He said, so let's pick it up with verse 33 of chapter 2 — the great book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 33: "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" — the sons and daughters speaking. Verse 34: "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand" — and so He is — "until I make Thy foes Thy footstool." Until I have them down there under your feet. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" — that is to say, He is the Anointed One.
Verse 37 — here comes that word, that prickly feeling: "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" They begin to wake up. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." That Holy Spirit that was speaking through both the men and the women on that day of Pentecost. And they were speaking not in an unknown tongue — that's not what the Pentecostal message is — it was spoken clearly and freely in every language of the world. Every person heard it in the country or the state of which they were born, that same dialect. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. He is our Father. He is your Father.
Don't let your arm go to sleep, okay? Roll over. Don't let your mind go to sleep, okay? Keep it active. Those eyes that are supposed to be watching — you're a watchman, okay? And a watchman that's got his eyes closed is unfit. Okay, keep your eyes open. Observe our Father's Word and follow the example set forth by our Heavenly Father. It is so easy to follow. It is so easy to please Him, because all He wants is your love. You know, it's like when you live with someone — they don't want yelling and screaming and hollering (and I know none of you have to put up with that) — but they want love. That's why you stay with somebody, because you love them. Well, that's what your Father wants from you. He wants your love. He wants you to love Him and to let Him know you love Him. I mean, He parted the Red Sea, He let the people cross, and then He did away with those that would harm them. That tender loving care of our Father — He cares for you. He made a contract with you. We've been reading from it. It is written. See that you read His letter. It pleases Him, it really does, when you read His letter. I don't know — how do you feel if you write somebody a letter and they throw it in the box and never read it? I don't see much love in that, do you? Well, our Father doesn't either. When you put it up on a mantel and all you ever do is write in it, "Well, Grandpa died here, little Junior was born here" — okay, a record keeper? No, it's a letter. It's a contract. Don't ever fail to read it, to go to sleep as limbs prickling with no control. Don't let your mind get in that state. Stay awake.
Heavenly Father, thank you, Father, for the privilege of serving you. Thank you for being with us this day. In Yeshua's, Jesus' precious name, amen. Amen.
Dr. Pastor Arnold B. Murray
**Questions & Answers**
**Question from Arkansas** The origin of evil spirits is evil people. You know what most people don't realize? Each of us has a spirit. Okay, I can take — I'm a teacher — and I can take my spirit (I'm talking about man's spirit now, okay, the intellect of my soul). I can take that and teach with it, and I can put that spirit out there to bring knowledge and understanding, and it affects people. You can do the same thing. You can take your spirit and when you fellowship with someone, your spirit goes to them, okay. So it is simply — don't make some big dark magical thing about it — it is the spirit of supernatural entities that we have been given power over by our Heavenly Father, but it originates with evil people. In other words, if my spirit is evil, I would be evil. If my spirit is good, then it is a good spirit, okay. It's according to whatever person it comes from.
**Question from California:** "Why is the word 'demon' not in the King James Bible, the Strong's Concordance, or the dictionary?" Well, because — um, it's strange that this question would follow that question, and one is from Tennessee and the other is all the way out to the West Coast in California. Um, you will find "devils" — James chapter 2 — you'll find the word "devils," which some people would translate "demonic" for those that are possessed. They are called "demonic" because they are possessed of an evil spirit, but they are called "evil spirits" or "familiar spirits" in the language, okay. Why are they called that? Because that's what they are, like I explained. Um, the reason you don't find the word "demon" is again, it is either translated from the word "devils" or "evil spirits" or "familiar spirits" because they are the spirits of people, beings, entities. The Holy Spirit being the spirit of God, it being good; Satan's spirit; and then you have even a spirit brought out by Christ that the disciples couldn't cast out because it was lunar — because of lunatic, which lunar being the moon, and the moon has a great deal of influence sometimes on people at night. So that's why you don't find it there, because it isn't written; it's called "evil spirit" or "familiar spirit."
**Question from Patricia in California:** "When you die, you are a spirit, right? Well, you're your spirit body, yep. So if you are a spirit, can you feel anything? If you can't, then how could you burn in hell?" Well again, I want you — I mentioned earlier in the lecture, Matthew chapter 10, verse 28 — I want you to go there and read it. God is in control, and it is God that operates the Lake of Fire mentioned in Revelation chapter 20. And Matthew 10:28 declares very clearly: "Fear not those that can kill your flesh body, but rather fear Him who can destroy the flesh, kill the flesh, as well as to cause the spirit to perish." "Perish" means to be over with, to be turned to ashes, be gone forever and ever and ever, okay. Um, that's why that — the Lake of Fire in Revelation 21 — all lakes and rivers and bodies of water are covered over, so will be that Lake of Fire because you're not going to be in heaven and here's the Lake of Fire and you're there all happied out, "We finally made it and we're in heaven rejoicing, but right there inside the throne of God is a lake of fire and old Uncle Henry who went to hell is in that lake and he is screaming his head off in pain, 'Oh help me!' and that's heaven?" I don't think so. It means that God is a cleansing fire. That same cleansing fire is known as the Holy Spirit that warms our hearts, because God's not angry at those that follow Him; He loves them, He helps them. But because He does love His children that do right, He intends to destroy all that would harm them, come against them, or cause them trouble. They're going to be gone. That's His way of doing things, and that's as a parent should.
**Question from Lynn in Kansas:** "In the Book of Ruth, when it is said that Ruth laid at his feet (that would be Boaz), did this mean marriage, and what is the significance of the feet?" Well, marriage in the Bible is for a man to place his cloak over the woman, okay, meaning he takes her under his care, is responsible. His kinsman-redeemer — the feet — it was only to show that she was not trying to take advantage of him, that she was humbly saying, "I am here." And it was he that did the right thing by solving the situation of another kinsman-redeemer who was closer to kin than Boaz was, and then as being a near kinsman, it was his right, okay. But marriage in the Bible means — as a matter of fact, God did it in Ezekiel chapter 16 concerning the city Jebus, which would later be named Jerusalem. He describes her as a young girl that comes to maturity and He places His cloak over her and marries her forever and ever and ever.
**Question from Jeff in Texas:** "Would you please explain Revelation 20, verse 8?" Well, that's another coincidence — I mentioned that at the end of the Millennium there would be war. Well, Revelation chapter 20, verse 8 is that war. It is called by the names utilized in Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39, but it doesn't mean that it simply means reprobates that go against God's Word or His teaching when Christ was there in person teaching through that thousand-year period. It's a war, and it is Satan's last rebellion, and it's what ends him and many others up in that Lake of Fire that can consume souls.
**Question from Diana in Alabama:** "In the Bible it says all Israel will be saved. Is this the spiritual or the natural tribe of Israel?" It means that — you know, you got to realize, when salvation is complete, it's at the end of the Millennium. And what it's saying is that those — God probably the ones from before that did not worship Satan from the twelve — and you're quoting from Romans chapter 11. Um, I find it hard that anybody is lost after the end of the thousand-year period of teaching, but some are, and supposedly none of Israel will be. Be that as it may, I'm out of time.
I love you all, because you enjoy studying our Father's Word chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Most of all, God loves you for it. He sent you the letter, and when you study it to feel Him, to love Him, it makes His day, and He'll make yours.
**Announcer:** "The Mark of the Beast" on CD is our free introductory offer to you. What is the Mark of the Beast? Many false teachers would have you believe it will be a tattoo on your forehead or a computer chip implanted under your skin. It is getting late in the game. You need to know what the Mark of the Beast is, as it's written in Revelation 13:18. Many will be deceived. There is no need for you to be deceived. Christ said in Mark 13:23, "Behold, I have foretold you all things." Jesus indeed told us how not to be deceived, and Pastor Arnold Murray takes you on a step-by-step study of God's Word concerning this critical subject, "The Mark of the Beast." The telephone call is free, the CD is free, we don't even ask for the shipping and handling — it is free as well. All you need to do is call 800-643-4645 to request your one-time, one-per-household copy of "The Mark of the Beast." You may also request your free CD by mailing your request to Shepherd's Chapel, Post Office Box 416, Gravette, Arkansas 72736. Don't be deceived by Satan.
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