McElroy Baptist Church

06/03/2026

JOURNEY THROUGH THE MINOR PROPHETS
Habakkuk 3

The final chapter of the book of Habakkuk is a prayer written down in the form of a song. The word Shigionoth is a musical term and was also used by David when writing Psalms (see Psalm 7 introduction). The content of Habakkuk's song is the Second Coming of Christ to earth.

Habakkuk has heard God's reply and is afraid. He asks God to revive His work. That work is Israel, the nation God chose as His people. Because of their wickedness, God's wrath has been, and is, upon them. Habakkuk pleads for God's mercy, asking God to bring His people back to Him (see Hosea 6:1,2). What Habakkuk writes down next is a description of events that will happen when Christ makes His second return to Earth. The passage is written in the past tense but deals with future events, just as the book of Revelation does.

"God came from Teman...from mount Paran. These are places in Edom, the region established by Esau. We know the events are future because God never came out of the land of the Edomites to do anything. The Edomites were enemies of Israel. They would not allow the Israelites to pass through their land. What Habakkuk is about to describe is part of the route Christ will take when He returns. The Second Coming is not simply a matter of Christ descending onto the Mount of Olives. Careful study reveals that He will travel through the surrounding land before He comes to Jerusalem.

Look at Deuteronomy 33:2: "The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them: he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them." There is a path being followed here - Sinai to Seir and beyond, and on this path is the LORD with His saints. This has never happened. It's a prophecy. Jude confirms this prophecy by quoting the Old Testament saint Enoch (see Jude 14,15). Where in the Bible do we see the Lord returning with a multitude of saints? Revelation 19.

As part of Christ's return, He will come down to Mount Sinai and melt it (see Judges 5:4-5, which is also a prophecy on the Second Coming). Then, He will leap over to Edom and travel through it on the king's highway. That is the same road the Edomites refused to let the Israelites travel on. But the King of Kings will go right through. While in Edom, Christ rescues the Tribulation Jews who have been hidden in the rock city of Selah-Petra. Notice how the word Selah shows up in Habakkuk's song. The word is usually brushed off as a time of pause or mediation on what has been said. But whenever it shows up, there is an end time prophecy in the context of the verses. Once the remnant is rescued, Christ sets the whole place on fire (see Isaiah 34).

Verse 4 describes what Christ is like at His coming. He is bright as the light because He is the Light of the world. His power is great and cannot be hidden. The horns coming out of His hand speak of political power. When He comes back, it is not only to destroy antichrist but also to set up His earthly kingdom, which He will rule with a rod of iron.

Next, He measures the earth and divides the nations for judgment. There are two lines set - one for life and one for death (see II Samuel 8:2), one for the sheep and one for the goats (see Matthew 25:31-46). These two lines are the nations that stood with Israel and dealt kindly with them, and those who hated Israel and persecuted them. What follows is great earthquakes that bring down the mountains and flatten everything. Cushan and Midian, enemies of Israel, are among the desolation.

The questions Habakkuk poses in verse 8 are rhetorical. God's anger was not against the mountains or the seas, nor against the sun and the moon. But at Christ's coming all of creation will tremble. Mountains will shake and fall, rivers will overflow, the sun and moon will stand still. The oath in verse 9 is God's word to the 12 tribes of Israel that He will do this. He will "march through the land in indignation," and He will crush the heathen in His path. While He is doing this, the sun and moon stay in their places, just as they did for Joshua (see Joshua 10:12-13). They will remain still until Christ and His army march up into the Valley of Megiddo (Armageddon) and trample the army of the antichrist until their blood flows as high as a horse's bridle (Revelation 14:20).

All of this will be for the salvation of God's people, Israel. The wounding of the head unto the neck speaks of the destruction of antichrist, who is the devil incarnate. Satan's head has not yet been bruised (see Romans 16:20). The prophecy given in Genesis 3:15 has not been fulfilled. This will happen at Christ's second coming. Although antichrist does his best to devour Israel, he will be shot through with his own wickedness. Christ has come through the waters (Red Sea and Jordan) in His whirlwind and will destroy him.

Habakkuk trembles at the thought of what God has revealed to him. It will be a wonderful day for Israel when Christ returns, but it will also be a dreadful and terrible day of death and destruction. He seeks comfort in the fact that although Israel was, and still is, away from God and not bearing fruit for Him, the day will come when all of that will change. Israel will one day be restored, and they will be as hinds, or mountain goats, in high places. They will walk with no fear of falling. In other words, they will once again be God's chosen people, and they will never fall away from Him again.

05/31/2026

Sunday School 10am
Morning Service 11am
Evening Service 5 pm

05/29/2026

05/25/2026

JOURNEY THROUGH THE MINOR PROPHETS
Habakkuk 2

Chapter 2 is God's second reply to Habakkuk. He tells Habakkuk to write down the vision and to make it plain to see and understand, so that people can respond to it. What God is about to show him is for an appointed period of time. The time is not yet, but it will happen.

When these things will happen is revealed in three small words, "at the end." This places us once again in the time of the Tribulation. "The end" is used by both Daniel and Matthew when speaking of the Tribulation period, specifically the return of Jesus Christ at the close of the seven years. So, the prophecy has tarried a long time in terms of human thinking. But we must remember that God is not ruled by human time. With Him, a thousand years are as a day. Christ told John at the end of Revelation, "Surely I come quickly." And He will.

Verse 4 gives a contrast between an upright man and a man who lifts himself up, who is prideful. This leads to a description of one particular man in verse 5. Not only is this man full of pride, he also is never satisfied. His desires are like death and hell. They get bigger and bigger but are never full (see Isaiah 5:14, Proverbs 27:20 and Proverbs 30:15-16). The more this man gets, the more it isn't enough. And it isn't small things that he is interested in. His desire is to bring all peoples and nations under his power. There is no guessing who this man is. This is antichrist, introduced in Revelation 6:2 as one who goes "forth conquering, and to conquer." He will stop at nothing to fulfill his desire to rule the world.

Yet, God says the nations antichrist conquers will take up a parable against him. He will run things for seven years but then will meet his end when Christ returns to take His rightful place as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. The antichrist will be thrown into the lake of fire and his army destroyed. Christ will then sit on His throne and judge the nations, according to how they treated Israel. Those who helped the Israelites will enter into Christ's kingdom on earth. They will get the "spoils of war." Those who made themselves rich and comfortable by following the antichrist, as in verses nine through 12, will get what is coming to them. They will be thrown into hell.

Habakkuk recognizes that all of this is of God. He has allowed Israel to suffer because of their wickedness and rebellion. He will rain judgment on the Earth during the Tribulation because of mankind's rejection of His Son Jesus Christ. And He will judge the nations that persecute His people at His second coming. Then the whole earth will be filled with His glory, and all men will know it. Those who chose violence will receive violence in return. They will be put to shame. Their idols will do them no good. They will be cast into hell. God will enter his holy temple and will rule and reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years. The earth will keep its silence before Him as He rules with a rod of iron - a thousand years of peace with Christ on the throne.

05/23/2026

Sunday School 10am
Morning Service 11am
Evening Service 5pm

05/20/2026

JOURNEY THROUGH THE MINOR PROPHETS
Habakkuk 1

In verse one, the prophet Habakkuk introduces the reader to his burden, or heavy load. This is the prophecy that God has given him to speak to the Jews. It is hard for Habakkuk to carry. He asks how long he must cry out to God before He will save His people from the wickedness of the heathen around them. Verse 2 is similar to Revelation 6:10, which says, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" This is because Habakkuk's prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. Habakkuk sees the violence of the heathen, how they cause strife and are always against Judah, and how they fight and plunder them. Because of this, there is no keeping of the law or righteous judgment in the land. Habakkuk calls on God to do His work - to destroy the heathen nations and restore the Jews. But God continues to allow their suffering because of their own wickedness. The people did not heed the warning then, and today they still are not listening to what God has said. So, throughout history, we have seen the nation of Israel go through untold persecution, and there is more to come.

God is speaking directly in verse 5. He tells the people to think about what He is saying. He is going to do a work among them that they won't believe, even though He has told them. He is going to raise up the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to take over the land. Their kingdom is great and powerful, as is their army. In violence, they will take the people captive and will laugh at Judah's leaders. The reason for this is that the Jews refused to keep the law. God warned them of this before they entered the Promised Land (see Deuteronomy 28:49-52), and He kept His word. Under Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians attacked Judah and took the Jews captive.

The same will be true in the Tribulation. Nebuchadnezzar is a type of the antichrist. He will rule the world, and His throne will be Babylon (Revelation 17). His main objective will be the same as all those who have persecuted the Jews before him - to destroy them completely. Although he shows up in peace, it is only temporary. His army is like the army of Nebuchadnezzar. It is dreadful and monstrous. With it he will hunt down the Jews and anyone who stands in his way. He will give honor and praise for his victories unto his god, which is Satan. It is from the devil that the antichrist gets his power.

Habakkuk speaks again, starting in verse 12. He knows that God is an everlasting God, and he has faith that God will not allow His people to be completely destroyed. Those whom God has allowed to persecute the Jews have been set aside for judgment for what they do. God's eyes are pure and cannot behold evil. So, Habakkuk asks why God hasn't done anything yet. How can He continue to allow the people to be caught like fish in a net by their adversaries? The heathen rejoice in what they have done and give honor to their false gods. If God doesn't intervene, they will continue to do so.

Habakkuk was right. When the Babylonians came in, the Jews were not completely destroyed. When Rome came in, the Jews were not completely destroyed. When Hi**er tried to wipe the Jews out, they were not completely destroyed. And when the antichrist takes over in the Tribulation, the Jews will not be completely destroyed. God will save a remnant of those who truly believe. He must do this because He made the Jews a promise - that they would have a kingdom whose ruler is the Messiah. This will happen at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus Christ returns to earth, wipes out antichrist and his army, and then sets up His throne in Jerusalem and reigns over the earth for a thousand years in the Millennium.

Habakkuk ends his questioning in chapter 2, verse 1, by saying that he will wait and see what God will say and what he will answer.

05/12/2026

Join us at 6pm Central, tonight!

05/12/2026

Going to do some singing...🙌

05/12/2026

JOURNEY THROUGH THE MINOR PROPHETS
Nahum 3

God pronounces woe on Ninevah, which He calls the bloody city. Nineveh was indeed the bloody capital of a bloody nation. The Assyrians were horribly cruel and violent towards those they conquered and took captive. Yet, they would not be able to stand against the coming world power of Babylon. They would be overcome and slain.

The multitude of corpses in verse 3 not only describes the slaughter when Nineveh was taken by Babylon, it also takes us to the end of the Tribulation period. Revelation 19 reveals that when Jesus Christ returns to earth at the end of the Tribulation, He will do battle against the antichrist and his innumerable army. Christ will wipe them all out, and the birds will gather to eat their flesh. Verses 4 and 5 further prove this, speaking of the whoredoms that have been committed with the well-favoured harlot. This harlot is Babylon the Great, who is spoken of in Revelation 17-18. God says He will bring Babylon to shame, and all who have taken part in her harlotry will flee for their lives. This Babylon in the Tribulation is the great world kingdom of the antichrist. We have seen throughout the book of Nahum that Nineveh/Assyria and Babylon are both equated with the antichrist's kingdom. So, again, we have a dual prophecy of Nineveh's historical downfall and of the downfall of the antichrist and his kingdom during the Tribulation.

God asks Nineveh if it thinks it is better than other kingdoms that rose and fell, such as the kingdom of No (Thebes). The obvious answer is that they are not. They will not escape God's wrath. He tells them exactly what they are. He says they are drunken and weak. All one has to do is shake them, like a ripe fig tree, and they will fall. They are nothing more than a bunch of women, meaning they have no courage or bravery to do battle. Their land is wide open, waiting to be taken by the enemy.

God tells them to prepare because the battle is coming. He urges them to save water, fortify the city, and build up their military. But even so, they will be devoured. They will be burned with fire and consumed by the sword. The destruction will be complete; there will be no healing.