“Who shut up the sea behind doors, when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it, and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther, here is where your proud waves halt?'” Job 38:8-11
God separates light from dark, sea from land and the righteous from the unrighteous.
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Yesterday afternoon, I went out shopping and when I returned to my car, I found the following hand written words scrawled in blue pen on a white sheet of paper and attached to my windshield –
“Please do every one a favor and learn how to park!’ Signed, “the public.”
Indignant, I looked at the note and then at my tires and sure enough, I was parked a little over the line; well, maybe just a little more than a little, but, not that much! I then glanced around at the cars parked near me and wondered who had the gall to write such a note and who would make such a big deal out of such a small thing. After all, I had only gone a little over the line.
It didn’t occur to me until this morning, that my little parking episode had provided the perfect opening for today’s post.
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When I started researching these Psalms, I came across a foot note in my Bible that really excited me, a foot-note, which at least for me provided the key to understanding the prophetic implication of this particular group of Psalms.
According to my foot-note, Psalms 113- 118, (the Egyptian Hallel) is broken in to two parts, when read at Passover. The first two Psalms (113 & 114) are recited before the pouring of the second cup and the last three Psalms (115-118) are recited before the filling of the fourth cup. Now this is very important. As someone who loves Passover and has taught on it many times, I was blown away, when I understood the implications of this.
Let’s start here:
There are four cups of wine at a Passover Seder. In order, they are:
The cup of Sanctification, the cup of Judgment, the cup of Redemption and the cup of Praise.
If Psalms 113 and 114 correspond with years 2013 and 2014, then, we would expect to see someone or something sanctified (set apart) before judgment (wrath) falls. *not to be confused with the chaos of 2012, which is a type of judgment, but, is not the wrath that falls during the last 3.5 years of the seven-year period.
Now, Sanctification is a big word which simply means to “set apart”.
Passover, of course, did exactly that. By bringing his people out of Egypt, God separated them unto himself. In the last days, there will be another group of people sanctified or “called out”. We find these people listed in Revelation chapter 7, and they are the 144,000, 12,000 Jewish men from each tribe.
Starting with Psalm 114 and working backwards –
The 114th Psalm opens with a recounting of the Exodus events –
“When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. Why was it, O sea that you fled, O Jordan that you turned back, you mountains that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs?” Psalm 114:1-6
Now, why would it be important for the 114th Psalm to start out this way? If God is going to call out this great group of people, who will be instrumental in bringing a remnant to faith in Christ during this period, what better way than recalling the great events of the Exodus. Don’t you just love the wording used, this was a time of incredible joy for the Father, “the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!” This was marvelous, this was incredible, God had chosen a people for himself and called them out of Egypt.
Life in Egypt was darkness, life in Egypt was slavery, life in Egypt was hopeless – but, God delivered them! Out of the chaos of 2012, a light shines, God raises up 144,000 spirit filled dynamos that will powerfully preach the message of the cross. And, people will be saved! A remnant to be sure, but, nevertheless, people will be saved!
Psalm 114, therefore, serves as a reminder that God is not yet finished – even in the midst of chaos God has set apart, chosen and sealed a people for his purposes.
The Psalm ends with these words:
“Tremble, O earth at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock in to a pool, the hard rock in to springs of water.” Psalm 114:8
The indication here I believe, that the same God who brought water out of the rock, will turn even these terrible events of the tribulation period in to springs of living water for those who will hear and believe.
How many will be saved during this period, I don’t know. But, I do know that we are told in the book of Zechariah that 2/3 of the population of Israel will die, while 1/3 will survive – therefore, of the estimated six million people living in Israel today, at least two million will come to faith in Jesus Christ at some time during this period. (Zechariah 13:8)
Backing up to Psalm 113 – the year that follows on the heels of the opening of the six seals during the year 2012. The Psalmist opens with these words:
“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forever more. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
God has begun a mighty work; world-wide in scope which will culminate in triumph over his enemies. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, THE NAME OF THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED!
The Psalmist reminds us in verses 4-6 that God is exalted ABOVE the nations, enthroned on high, he stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth.
“The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth.” Psalm 113: 4-6
Can you imagine? God stoops down to see who is making such a fuss. The nations raging against Israel are really raging against God. In their vain imaginations and their pride, they think by defeating Israel, they can defeat God. They don’t want their ten commandments and they sure don’t want their Messiah. They want their self-made, man-made religion without any restrictions, without any boundaries and without any responsibilities. And, as long as Jews and Christians are around, it’s a sore reminder of a God who says otherwise.
During this chaotic time period, those who are poor and needy ( in other words, those who see their spiritual need and respond to the call of Jesus) will be lifted from the ash heap and the dust to be seated with princes.
“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.” Psalm 113:7-8
Every Passover Seder begins with an invitation to Passover. A call for any one who is hungry or thirsty to come to the table. The implication, that what ever your needs, they will be met at the Passover table. And, of course, in a very large sense it is true, as the Passover Seder is a wonderful picture of the redemptive work of Christ. Jesus, who also said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” To be seated with the princes, is to be seated with Christ.
And, the Psalm concludes –
“He settles the barren woman in her home, as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 113:9
The barren woman (Rachel) matriarch of the Jewish people, was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin; Joseph, a type of Christ. Israel, will never be moved from their land. And, Jew and Gentile believers, their happy-off spring of whom there are many, will share in this blessed inheritance.
I started todays post with my little parking incident and though minor and of no real consequence, I have to admit, how quickly, I took offense at being shown the error of my ways. There are laws and boundaries that govern even nature itself. Only man has the choice and the capability of defying the creator. Humbleness is not easy to come by and without the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit, not one of us would see our sin and how desperately in need of a Savior, we really are.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper who love thee” Psalm 122:6 Watching and waiting with YOU for the soon return of Jesus! Cindy
Heaven Bound 
Cindy,
Thank you for your post and insights. Here’s something to think about. It is generally taught that the seals are simply God’s judgements and that His wrath is not poured out until the last 3.5 years. I used to think the same and notice you’ve made reference to the same thought. If this is true, why do the people on earth say the day of God’s wrath has come when the 6th seal is opened?
Rev 6:12-17 KJV
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Since we are not appointed to wrath (1 Thess 5:9 KJV “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”) we can see that we are nearer than ever to Jesus’ appearing in the clouds and our catching away!
Keep looking up!
[Great question! And, since I am no expert, I went on line to see what I could find. This article explains it pretty clearly. The end of the trumpets, “begins the day of the Lord” which is the period of wrath. In verse 17, it reads “is come” in other words, a time which had previously been in the future – is now ready to begin. Hope that makes sense. Here’s the link: http://www.strongtowerpublishing.com/doesgod'swrathbe.html Blessings! C]
By: Coreen on June 13, 2011
at 3:18 pm
Thank you Cindy for your reply and link to the article on this topic. I’m still “chewing” on all of this!
God Bless You!
By: Coreen on June 15, 2011
at 2:43 pm
You will have to ask yourself Coreen, why God’s wrath has come in the first place. Remember in Daniel where God’s Word says,”And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” (or a seven year period of time). The Lord will be justified in bringing His wrath upon the earth, since the earth and its inhabitants have just accepted that covenant of death which was brought about by Satan through antichrist. That the day of his wrath “is come” as opposed to the”day of grace”, simply is saying that His wrath is here, beginning with the 1st seal.
It is Jesus himself who opens the tribulation period as evidenced in Revelation 5:9
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation;
Those who are singing that song? Those who have been resurrected when Jesus calls up his bride in Revelation chapter 4.
By: mark on August 3, 2011
at 2:12 am
Mark, thank you for your reply to my question. Yes, I fully agree with what you’ve written. When I posted this in June I had been listening to others who had raised this question about the wrath and it got me questioning a lot of things. However, when we use Scripture to interpret Scripture there is no conflict. I’ve learned another lesson the hard way, but God has been faithful to me in spite of my mistake.
By: Coreen on August 3, 2011
at 4:06 am
You are quite welcome Coreen.
By: mark on August 4, 2011
at 1:57 am
Cindy,
Thank you for answering my post on another thread. I dont care about what those who park around you say, We (the readers of you blog) think your great. All kidding aside. Thank you for your time and please pray for me and my family as I will keep you and your readers in my prayers.
Andrew
[You’re very welcome Andrew! You made my day! And, I do appreciate your prayers; I will be keeping you in mine! C]
By: Andrew on June 13, 2011
at 9:55 pm
When I read about your parking job, I truly had to laugh because I am terrible at parking in the lines (esp backing up). I appreciate your frustration and I would still be offended if someone left me a note as well. Heh heh! Hang in there! There are soooo many folks just itching to point at the speck in someones eye while completely ignoring the plank in their own. If they only knew!
Your discussion about the 1/3 of Israel is so very heartbreaking and a huge topic between myself and Yeshua as I try to grasp it. My heart breaks when I think of the narrow gate and the wider chasm that so many are choosing to follow. I do trust God though and know that His plans are perfect.
His plans and timing are always perfect and we can trust He won’t be late!
[Thanks SS, I’m glad you got a chuckle out of my little parking episode. You know, none of us likes to be corrected, but, I’ll tell you what, the last two days, I have been very careful about those little white lines! I know what Proverbs has to say about the fool who despises correction – O Lord, don’t let that be me! Thanks for writing and by the way, I love your name, Spreading Salt. Grace and blessings! C]
Blessings,
SS
By: Spreading Salt on June 14, 2011
at 2:27 am
I am enjoying your posts about the Psalms so much! Thank you for being open to the Holy Spirit. Thank you, too, for being willing to share how you didn’t enjoy being corrected. I pray that I, too, may be humble enough to take correction and willing to step up and admit I did wrong.
God bless you in a special way today.
Kim
[Thank you so much Kim, I’m glad your enjoying the series I’m doing on the Psalms. I’m starting to work on the next two (Psalm 115 and Psalm 116) and can’t wait to see how God will pull it all together. Isn’t his word just awesome! Grace and blessings! C]
By: Kim on June 14, 2011
at 2:13 pm
[…] reading through the Psalms, Cindy at Cindy by the Sea gets some new insights into Passover… There’s much more than that here as well, you […]
[Thank you for the link, I am very humbled and honored. Grace and blessings! C]
By: After That He Took The Cup… « Christianity 201 on June 14, 2011
at 10:32 pm
I think you’re onto something here, Cindy. With the JR Church construct in mind (perhaps with some Hebrew-year boundaries), I was stunned, at our church’s Passover Seder this year, to consider afresh the possibility that Psalms 111 through 118 might describe the denouement of the current dispensation, and the final steps to Christ’s return. (Most scholars pin his birth in 2 BC. If so, then this would be the 2,000th anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah year, age thirteen — roughly the time he first appeared at the Temple to teach.)
Not to get too far ahead of your series here, but the super-short Psalm 117 strikes me as a kind of crisp, easy-to-understand ‘final offer’ (“Praise the LORD, all nations!…”) while “Psalm 118:22 (“The stone which the builders rejected HAS BECOME the cornerstone.”) seems like a fitting declaration of the start to the Millennium and the building of Christ’s here-and-now kingdom on earth.
And maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I could also see the ultra-long, almost relaxed Hebrew-alphabetic Psalm 119 serving as a kind of back-to-basics, now-lets-all-learn-our-letters tutorial by the Alpha-Omega King as he begins to rule on earth over a bunch of post-Babel peoples who never learned Hebrew but now really want to so they can be fully participating citizens and rebuild from the rubble the way He intended.
Re. “The nations raging against Israel are really raging against God.” — how true! One only needs look at other ‘pesky’ regional conflicts involving smallish nations carved out of 20th century conflicts (e.g., Taiwan, South Korea) to realize that the world’s extreme focus on, and animosity towards Israel stems from something way, beyond and above their temporal significance, i.e., were they just another nation like all the others.
Re. parking silliness — Last fall, a man parallel parked behind me at a curb while I was in my car, waiting for someone. In doing so, he ‘bumped’ me fairly hard, then got out and left, with his bumper still touching mine making it virtually impossible for me to leave(!!)
He could see I was there, but didn’t say anything — just walked away to play soccer with his kid, nearby.
I fought back a wave of self-righteous anger with a few ‘micro-prayers’, choosing to let it go and see how things played out. (The person I was to meet wasn’t there yet, I was confident the car wasn’t damaged, and I could still see the car’s owner, across a field.)
Well wouldn’t ya’ know it, but the car in front of me left just a few minutes later, freeing me just a few minutes before I had to leave. I wrote a quick note and put it on the windshield of the man behind who had bumped me, saying (in effect) — You bumped me. No worries. Have a nice day. I’m a Christian. I have no idea what happened after that. All I know is that God responds to the little stuff just as much as the big if we pray, wait on Him, and don’t take matters into our own hands when we don’t have to.
[ Thanks Art, its a pleasure to have your input as always. Don’t worry about getting ahead of me, I’m still working on the next two Psalms and hearing from others helps kick my mind in to gear. Its been a blessing to work on this series and I’m glad to hear that people are enjoying it. Thanks too, for sharing your parking incident. Goes to show, if we take a few minutes to pray and let God get control of our “natural inclinations” what great things can happen. A small, even unfortunate incident can become a moment of grace and testimony if we take a moment to give it to God. Blessings brother! C]
By: Art on June 15, 2011
at 5:09 am
Cindy,
I fully believe the end of September is a pivotal date. Events are rapidly coming together prophetically in the Middle East and the Palastinians’ may very well ask the UN to declare their statehood at that time. I do not believe it is a coincidence that Rosh Hashana (i.e. Yom Teruah, Feast of Trumpets) is also at the end of September.
What really grabbed my attention to study Psalm 111 – 118 in regards to the possibility they match the years 2011 – 2018 was what I read in Psalm 118:26:
•In Vs 26 Israel says “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord”.
•Shortly after Jesus’ triumphant entry, which was an enactment (typology) of His second coming, Jesus then weeps over Jerusalem and tells Israel they will not see Him again until they say “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord”. (Also, I’m pretty sure the colt He rode was pure white!)
•Besides the account of this in the 4 gospels, the only other place this phrase is recorded in the Bible just happens to be in Psalms 118!
Further, if 2018 is indeed the date of our Lord’s second coming, 70 years will have transpired since Israel became a nation in 1948. As I mulled over and considered what could be the significance of 70 years, all of a sudden it hit me!
•In Daniel 9:2 Daniel discovered that Jeremiah prophesied 70 years of desolations for Jerusalem.
•We know that many of the Old Testament prophecies have duel fulfillments (a fulfillment in their days and a perfect last day’s fulfillment).
•Amos 3:7 tells us God has revealed all His secrets to the prophets of the Bible and that He reveals the future from things that have happened in the past (Isaiah 46:10).
•Could these 70 years from 1948 to 2018 indeed be this perfect last day’s fulfillment?
•Could it be that this fulfillment is right there in plain site for us to see? I fully believe God wants us to know these things (Isaiah 45:19 and 48:16).
•Lastly, if 2018 is the second coming it must be a Year of Jubilee as Jesus’ return will be the perfect fulfillment of Jubilee by setting the captives free.
•As of yet I’ve been unable to confirm 2018 in regards to Jubilee as there appears to be discrepancies among individuals regarding this. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of these things and better equipped than myself can figure this out.
‘m looking forward to reading what the Lord is showing you in your next posts on these Psalms and I’ll only post things that jumped out at me in these passages if they are different than what you’ve been shown.
Don’t you just love how God’s Word is more current than tomorrows headlines?!
God Bless You!
[ Thank you Coreen for sharing your thoughts and I agree with you that God has placed many, if not all of these things in his word for those with patience to find. Its like digging in a mine for ore and finding not only ore, but, precious gold, silver, rubies and diamonds. The casual Bible reader will never understand the depth of the richness of God’s word. It can never be exhausted. Exciting times we live in Coreen, we’re seeing the fulfillment in our life time, how great is that! C]
By: Coreen on June 15, 2011
at 4:06 pm
So true Cindy.
The wording of your reply made me think of Rom 11:33 “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!”
I love how Pastor Hoggard describes our learning from Scripture.
http://watchmanvideobroadcast.com/blog
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Mike%5EHoggard
First comes knowledge:
We need to read the Word and get it into us.
Then understanding:
In time we begin to understand and see various passages confirm and expound on others.
And then wisdom is given:
As the Holy Spirit opens up The Word to us.
God bless you and have a wonderful weekend!
p.s. I learned how to post a link to my document but will hold off doing so until you’ve completed your study of these Psalms.
By: Coreen on June 17, 2011
at 3:15 pm