Sennacherib responds to rumors of war and threatens action against those faithful to the word of God.

Isaiah 37:8-14

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Sennacherib leaves Lachish to go to battle with Libnah.
• Sennacherib threatens to return to defeat the faithful to God in Jerusalem.
• Sennacherib is exalted above all gods and above the Living God.
• Hezekiah goes into the house of the Lord to bring the words of Sennacherib to Him.

Sennacherib leaves Lachish to go to battle with Libnah.

“Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.” Isaiah 37:8

The Rabshakeh was an ambassador of the king of Assyria [Sennacherib] with authority over a great army, great meaning many soldiers, horses, equipment, etc. In the post on Isaiah 36:1-7, the Rabshakeh was sent from Lachish to Jerusalem to give Hezekiah a message, as quoted, “Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.” Isaiah 36:2 After delivering the massage to Hezekiah, he returned to Lachish, but found Sennacherib, king of Assyria fighting a battle with Libnah, rather he heard that the king had departed from Lachish to handle a problem in Libnah.

The king of Assyria was conquering key locations in Judah, so he had control over Lachish and then had to exert military force in Libnah.

In the Spirit, we see how the military forces of the power of darkness find it necessary to fight one battle after another in order to keep themselves in power. Also, “Libnah means “white” or “whiteness” which would represent everyone loyal to God through Jesus Christ and living in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Libnah was in the kingdom of Judah, where Hezekiah tore down the idols of the false gods and restored worship to the Living God. Our Lord Jesus says to us, “…you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:6-8 Click for posts on Matthew 24.

Lachish was the main route from Jerusalem [capital of Judah] to Egypt, which the king of Assyria occupied in order to cut off the ability of Jerusalem to communicate with Egypt. Sennacherib did not want the king of Judah and the leader of Egypt to conspire against him. Sennacherib had to leave there to fight a war in Libnah. We see that happening today as the global community comes against the military alliance between Israel and the United States of America. However, there are continuous wars and rumors of wars around the world. Also, our brothers and sisters in Christ are being imprisoned and even killed in countries around the world. Those of the global community are living and governing by the power of darkness through the beast that gives them what to do, say, think, and feel.

On the image below, the picture to the far left clearly shows where Lachish and Libnah are in comparison to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital of the kingdom of Judah. On the picture in the middle, the red circle shows where Lachish and Libnah are within the territory of the West Bank of the State of Israel today. The blue circle is where Jerusalem is, now divided between West and East Jerusalem, West being within the State of Isarel and the East being part of the West Bank. The picture to the far right shows the kingdom of Israel to the north and the kingdom of Judah to the south, as it was in the times of Isaiah. Libnah and Lachish were to the southwest of Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom of Judah, and on the route to Egypt.

Sennacherib threatens to return to defeat the faithful to God in Jerusalem.

“And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus you will speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 37:9-10

At the same time that Sennacherib had to fight a battle in Libnah, he heard that the king of Ethiopia had plans to make war with him. Ethiopia and Egypt were closely aligned in their military objective to come against Assyria. At that time, Hezekiah, the king of Judah, had no intention of joining forces with Egypt/Ethiopia because he chose to consult the Lord, through Isaiah, about what to do, as described in Isaiah 37:1-7. Even though Snnacherib had to leave Judah to fight an Ethiopian battle, Sennacherib told Hezekiah not to think that the Living God was bringing deliverance from the Assyrians.

Today, we live in a world that vows to drive the way of Jesus Christ into extinction, if it is the last thing they do. No matter how many wars and rumors of wars there are in this world, the aim of the government of the beast, and its global culture, is to eradicate belief in God, Jesus Christ, and living in the presence of the Holy Spirit, as described in Revelations 12.

A similar occurrence is prophesied about in Daniel 11:29-30 where a king feels a need to come against forces in the “south”, and when opposition comes against him, he rages against the people of God, as quoted, “At the appointed time he will return and go toward the south; but it will not be like the former or the latter. For ships from Cyprus will come against him; therefore he will be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.” Click for a post on Daniel 11:28-35.

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelations 12:7

Sennacherib is exalted above all gods and above the Living God.

“Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and will you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’” Isaiah 37:11-13

The message sent to Hezekiah from king Sennacherib exalted the king above all gods and everything worshipped as god and included the Living God in that boast. That boast is saying in attitude and behavior, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war with him?” Revelations 13:4 We hear today’s culture making the same boast because they live for the beast that has power over physiology to give them what to say, do, think, and feel. They worship the “king” that sits within the temple of God, our body, by giving people what to say and do. That “king” is the one “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Click for a post on that.

Listed in the cities of the verses above is Gozan. That is one of the places where the king of Assyria, before Sennacherib, exiled the ten tribes of Israel to…from the kingdom of Israel. After that, Sennacherib threatened to do the same to the two tribes of the kingdom of Judah [Benjamin and Judah]. On the map below, Haran and Gozan can be seen circled in red towards the top of the picture. The red circle towards the bottom is where the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah would have been. The Israelites were exiled far from their homeland.

Today, the government of the beast intends to exile the followers of Jesus Christ far from belief in God, far from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, far from the presence of the Holy Spirit, and far from interaction with the culture of the beast, which is global.

Hezekiah goes into the house of the Lord to bring the words of Sennacherib to Him.

“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.” Isaiah 37:14

What Hezekiah did with the letter of blasphemous and threatening words from Sennacherib is what we followers of Jesus Christ must do with the blasphemous and threatening intent sent to us by the culture of the beast. Hezekiah read the letter then entered into the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to enter the house of the Lord, into the presence of the Holy Spirit, as we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 We spread before Him all the blaspheme spoken to Him and all the threats made towards us. He answers us through the word of God, who says, “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” Revelations 16:6

We remain in the presence of the Holy Spirit where we are able to hold to our belief in God the Creator and to lift up Christ Jesus as our Lord who is the giver of eternal life.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:13-17

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11