Lesson11part2

RETURN TO SYLLABUS
PSALMS 53 AND PSALMS 54
LESSON #11/P2
THE ULTIMATE FOOL

MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 54:4

PSALMS 53

THE SUB-TITLE: "To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David."

THE WORD, "MAHALATH", REFERS TO SEVERE SICKNESS, SEVERE MOURNING, AND EXTREME SADNESS THAT RELATES TO THE FUTURE TRIBULATION PERIOD OF SEVEN YEARS.

THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WILL BE A TIME OF GREAT DISTRESS AND EXTREME SUFFERING.

REMEMBER THE WORD, "MASCHIL", MEANS TEACHING AND UNDERSTANDING.

READ PSA 53:1-6

PRIMARY AND PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION:

PSALMS 53 IS VERY SIMILAR TO PSALMS 14. YOU MAY WANT TO READ PSA 14 TO SEE THE SIMILARITIES AND THE DIFFERENCES.

ONE OF THE MAIN DIFFERENCES IS THE USE OF GOD’S NAME.

IN PSA 14, THE NAME, JEHOVAH, IS USED FOUR TIMES AND THE NAME, ELOHIM, IS USED THREE TIMES.
IN PSA 53, THE NAME, ELOHIM, IS SIGNIFICANTLY USED SEVEN TIMES, AND THE NAME, JEHOVAH, IS NOT USED.

THE NUMBER, SEVEN, IS GOD’S SYMBOLIC NUMBER OF PERFECTION OR COMPLETION. GOD IS THE PERFECT CREATOR.
THE NAME, ELOHIM, REFERS TO GOD, THE CREATOR.

VERSE 1 ESTABLISHES THE FACT THAT THIS PSALM BEGINS WITH ATHEISM, A DENIAL OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.

READ ROM 1:19-20
ACCORDING TO ROM 1, ALL PEOPLE KNOW IN THEIR HEART THAT GOD EXISTS, BECAUSE THE THINGS OF CREATION AROUND THEM PROVE IT.

ATHEISM HAS A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP TO THE FUTURE ANTICHRIST OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

READ 1JOH 2:22
READ 2THE 2:4
THE FUTURE ANTICHRIST WILL BASE HIS ENTIRE WORLD VIEW ON THE FALSE ASSUMPTION THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST. THEN, HAVING CREATED A VACUUM AT THE TOP AMONG THE PEOPLE IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, THE ANTICHRIST WILL THEN BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN HE PROMOTES HIMSELF AS GOD. THE ANTICHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE FOOL.

THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF A FOOL FROM PSA 53 AND FROM ROM 3 IN PARALLEL:

READ ROM 3:10-18
=1= THE PRIMARY CHARACTERISTIC OF A FOOL IS AN ATHEISTIC BELIEF. WHY DOES A FAILURE TO BELIEVE IN GOD MAKE A PERSON A FOOL?

IF A PERSON BELIEVES THERE IS NO GOD, THEN THERE IS NO ONE TO WHOM HE WILL HAVE TO GIVE ACCOUNT, AND HE WILL FEEL FREE TO DO ANYTHING HE WANTS WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY.

GOD SAYS THAT HE WILL EVENTUALLY DISCOVER HOW FOOLISH HIS BELIEF IS WHEN HE HAS TO STAND BEFORE GOD IN THE FINAL JUDGMENT AND ACCOUNT FOR HIS ENTIRE LIFE BASED ON A FOOLISH BELIEF THAT THERE WILL BE NO ONE TO JUDGE HIM.

=2= THE FOOL IS CORRUPT AND COMMITS ABOMINABLE SINS BECAUSE HE FOOLISHLY BELIEVES HE WILL GET AWAY WITH HIS SIN.
=3= THE FOOL DOES NOT SEEK GOD BECAUSE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT GOD EXISTS.
=4= THE FOOL DOES NOT DO GOOD DEEDS BECAUSE THE FAULTY MOTIVE FOR EVERYTHING HE DOES IN HIS LIFE COMES OUT OF HIS OWN SELFISHNESS.
=5= THE FOOL HAS NO SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING OR KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE HE DOES NOT KNOW GOD WHO IS THE SOURCE OF ALL WISDOM AND TRUTH.
=6= THE FOOL PERSECUTES PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN GOD BECAUSE THEY ARE BLIND TO TRUE VALUES IN LIFE.

THE ANTICHRIST WILL PERSECUTE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS WITHOUT MERCY DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. THIS IS THE "MAHALATH", THE GREAT AND SEVERE SADNESS AND MOURNING OF THE JEWS. THE TRIBULATION PERIOD IS CALLED, "THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE" (JER 30:7)

A PARALLEL OF PSA 53 AND ROM 3

THE FOOL IN PSA 53	ROM 3:10-18
THEY BELIEVE THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST (1)	THEY HAVE NO FEAR OF GOD (3:18)
THEY ARE CORRUPT (1) THE WORD MEANS = FULL OF SIN
THEY DO DEEDS OF ABDOMINABLE INIQUITY (1)	THEIR SPEECH AND ACTIONS ARE FILTHY AND EVIL (3:13-15)
THEY DO NOT DO GOOD (1, 3)	THEY ARE NOT RIGHTEOUS AND DO NOT DO GOOD (3:10, 12)
THEY HAVE A LACK OF SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING (2)	THEY DO NOT HAVE SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING (3:11)
THEY FAIL TO SEEK GOD (2)	THEY DO NOT SEEK GOD (3:11)
THEY REVERT TO BASE BEHAVIOR (3)	THEY HAVE GONE OUT OF THE WAY (3:12)
THEY BECOME FILTHY IN SIN (3) CORRUPT = SOURED LIKE MILK
THEY LACK SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE (4)
THEY PERSECUTE BELIEVERS (4)	THEY ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD (3:15)
THEY DON’T CALL UPON GOD (4)	THEY HAVE NO FEAR OF GOD (3:16)
	THEY DON’T KNOW THE WAY OF PEACE (3:17)

THE FINAL JUDGMENT OF THE FOOL (5)

DAVID SEES THE FINAL JUDGMENT OF THE FOOL IN THE PAST TENSE, WHICH SIMPLY AFFIRMS ITS CERTAINTY AS AN ESTABLISHED FACT.
THE FOOL WILL SUFFER GREAT FEAR WHEN HE STANDS BEFORE GOD IN THE FINAL JUDGMENT.

HE HAS LIVED HIS WHOLE LIFE AGAINST GOD. THEREFORE, AS A RESULT, GOD WILL BE AGAINST HIM.

THE ANTICHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE FOOL. GOD WILL JUDGE HIM AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

READ REV 19:20

THE VICTORY OF GOD’S PEOPLE (6)

THE SALVATION OF ISRAEL

AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, JEWS WILL ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR. (ZEC 12:10)

ISRAEL WILL BE GLAD (6)

AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, JESUS WILL ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS. ISRAEL WILL BE A FAVORED NATION LIVING IN CHRIST’S PEACEABLE KINGDOM.

PSALMS 54

THE SUB-TITLE: "To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?"

"NEGINOTH" = A STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

"MASCHIL" = TEACHING AND UNDERSTANDING
THE ZIPHIMS (THE ZIPHITES)

THESE PEOPLE BETRAYED DAVID TO SAUL IN 1SAM 23 WHEN SAUL WANTED TO KILL DAVID.

READ PSA 54:1-7

THE PRIMARY AND PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION:

"SAVE ME, O GOD…" (1) "HEAR MY PRAYER, O GOD…" (2)

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, THE ANTICHRIST WILL VIOLATE HIS OWN PEACE TREATY OF PROTECTION FOR ISRAEL. THEN HE WILL PURSUE AND HUNT DOWN JEWS AND CHRISTIANS TO KILL THEM.

READ MAT 24:15-21

THIS FLIGHT OF THE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS IS REMINISCENT OF DAVID’S FLIGHT FROM KING SAUL.

"SELAH"

THE IMPORTANT TEACHING FROM VERSE 3 THAT WE SHOULD STOP AND THINK ABOUT:

"…THEY HAVE NOT SET GOD BEFORE THEM."

THIS PHRASE IS REMINISCENT OF THE DEFINITION OF A FOOL IN PSA 53:1 THAT REFERS TO THE ANTICHRIST WHERE ATHEISM IS THE BASIS OF HIS KINGDOM. ALL THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE ANTICHRIST WILL HAVE THE SAME ATHEISTIC BELIEF.
IT IS THE BASIC ATHEISTIC BELIEF THAT CAUSES NON-BELIEVERS TO PERSECUTE JEWS AND CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS. WHY?
IT COMES DOWN TO THAT SPIRITUAL WARFARE BEHIND THE SCENES. THE WAR BETWEEN GOD VERSUS SATAN, GOOD VERSUS EVIL, RIGHTEOUSNESS VERSUS UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, THE CHILDREN OF GOD VERSUS THE CHILDREN OF SATAN, (JOH 8:44).

HELP COMES FROM GOD (4)

JUST AS GOD HELPED DAVID ELUDE KING SAUL, SO GOD WILL HELP JEWS AND CHRISTIANS FLEEING FROM THE ANTICHRIST.

GOD SENDS HIS HELP IN ANSWER TO THE PRAYERS OF THOSE CHRISTIANS WHO UPHOLD OTHER BELIEVERS IN PRAYER. (4)
GOD WILL "CUT OFF" THE PLOTS OF THE ANTICHRIST TO ANNIHILATE THE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS. (5)

PRAISE AND SACRIFICE BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD (6)

DAVID’S PRAYER IS BASED ON THE NAME OF GOD.

IN BIBLICAL TIMES, A PERSON’S NAME WAS CONSIDERED PART OF HIS CHARACTER, PART OF HIS VERY NATURE, AND CHARACTERIZED WHO HE WAS AND WHO HE WOULD BECOME.

THIS IS THE REASON WHY IT IS IMPORTANT AND INSTRUCTIVE TO DISCOVER THE MEANING OF BIBLICAL NAMES.

ULTIMATE VICTORY (7)

THOSE THAT BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE FAITHFUL REMNANT, WILL HAVE THE ULTIMATE VICTORY WHILE THE ENEMY, THE ANTICHRIST, WILL BE DESTROYED AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

HOMEWORK
PSALMS 55
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

APPLICATION OF PSA 53 AND PSA 54

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A SITUATION LIKE DAVID WHERE YOU FELT EVERYONE WAS AGAINST YOU?

IF YOU HAVE, WHAT ENCOURAGEMENT CAN YOU GIVE TO ANOTHER PERSON ENDURING THE SAME SITUATION.

PREPARATION FOR PSA 55

READ PSA 55:1-23

FOR BACKGROUND READ 2SAM 15:32-37 2SAM 16:15-19 2SAM 17:1-11, 14

WHAT DOES THIS PSALM TELL YOU ABOUT THE BETRAYER? (12-15)

MEMORY VERSE: PSA 55:22