Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications

In The End

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2025-02-09

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver preaches from 2 Chronicles 23, using the story of Athaliah's usurpation and Joash's coronation to illustrate that God's justice will ultimately prevail over tyrants. He emphasizes that a good life can be destroyed by one act of rebellion, that true justice is biblical and covenantal, and that believers need patience as God is actively subduing His enemies. The sermon concludes with the assurance that in the end, God will reign supremely, His saints will be vindicated, and His enemies will be destroyed.

[John Weaver] All right, I want you to open your Bibles if you would please today to 2nd Chronicles chapter 23 2nd Chronicles chapter 23 We're going to read just a few verses and we're going to come back after an introduction and work through this chapter and probably a couple others as well and So Second Chronicles, Chapter 23, and the title of the message is In the End. In the End. So look at it. Second Chronicles 23. Let's just begin with verse one.

[John Weaver] And in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah, the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael, the son of Johanan, and Azariah, the son of Obed. and Maaseiah, the son of Adiah, and Elishapheth, the son of Zechariah, into covenant with him. And they went into Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. And all the congregation made a covenant with the king and the house of God. And he said to them, behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord had said, of the sons of David.

[John Weaver] This is the thing that you shall do. A third part of you entering on the Sabbath of the priests and of the Levites shall be porters of the doors. And a third part shall be at the king's house, and a third part at the gate of the foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. But let none come into the house of the Lord save the priest, and they that minister of the Levites, they shall go in, for they are holy. But all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. And the Levites shall compass the king round about every man with his weapons in his hand. And whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death. But you be with the king when he cometh in and when he goeth out. So.

[John Weaver] In the end, everyone loves a good ending. I know of some folks who are so addicted to the endings of a book that oftentimes they turn to the end of the book and read the ending first, and then they will go back and start the book and read all the way through. But oftentimes in movies as well as in books, there are surprise endings as well. Many times one who reads with attention may be able to find out or discover how the book is going to end before he ever gets there. But on the other hand, no one actually likes to have endings spoil for them. Most of you know that Alice and I do not have a TV. We haven't had one in years. We do not want one, and we do not have time for one. However, years back, when we used to have a TV, Alice liked that NCIS program, kind of a mystery whodunit, that kind of thing. And occasionally, I would sit and watch that program with her.

[John Weaver] Well, when we got rid of the TV, we never watched those programs anymore, obviously. But when we would travel and we would be in motels and we had some time, she would turn the TV on and see if she could find that NCIS program. And I would sit down with her. The program would come on. And after I watched it five minutes, I would look at her and I'd say, we've already seen this program. I said, now to save you some time, I will tell you the plot, and I'll tell you how it ends. She would always look at me, she'd say, no thank you, I'll watch the replay, because she'd already forgotten it.

[John Weaver] So I would get up and go to the computer and go to work and forget it. But you know, we like happy endings. But the truth of the matter is, not every story, not even every true story, has a happy ending. You need to consider 2 Chronicles 26, since you're right there, and this is the story of King Uzziah. King Uzziah reigned for 52 years, which is an exceedingly long reign for a king. He didn't only reign 52 years, he did many wonderful things, obviously good things, and you and I would probably say that he was a good man. But in spite of all that he had done and all of the blessings of the Lord upon him and he was helped by the Lord until And I'm going to say this again until His heart was lifted up with pride and he sinned against the Lord so if you look in 2nd Chronicles

[John Weaver] chapter 16 in verse 16 the Bible says but when he was strong and His heart would lift it up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of the incense. And of course, that was reserved for the priests and priests only. So let me just point out a truth before I go any further. This truth needs to be enforced in our minds.

[John Weaver] And that is this, that a good and godly and obedient life can be destroyed by pride, hardheadedness, stubbornness, and disobedience. Uzziah is not remembered for all of his good deeds. Uzziah is usually remembered and preached about because of this incident at this particular time. He rebelled against the Lord and in this God smote him with leprosy So if you look in chapter 26 beginning there with verse 18 Well, let's read verse 17 and Azariah the priest went in after him and with him four score That is 80 priests of the Lord that were valiant men and they withstood Uzziah the king and said unto him It appertained not unto the Uzziah to burn incense unto the Lord but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God." Now look at this, then Uzziah was wroth While I'm the king, I can do what I want to do." This is his attitude.

[John Weaver] Then Uzziah was wroth and had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar. And as arrived the chief priests and all the priests looked upon him, And behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence, yea, himself hastened also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several or separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord, and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land." So Uzziah is remembered for this rebellion against the Lord.

[John Weaver] There's an interesting story that everyone knows about, found in 2 Samuel chapter 11, and that's the story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah. You remember that story, of course, how David had committed adultery with Bathsheba while her husband Uriah was off at war. And when she told him that she was with child, then David thought he was going to cover his his deed. And so he sent for Uriah and asked for a report on how the war was going.

[John Weaver] Then he said a mess of meat down to the house. And lo and behold, Uriah slept at the door. And so The next morning, when they told the king what happened, he asked Uriah, he said, how is it you've come from the battle and you went not down to your own house? Well, he said, how could I? He said, the ark of God is in the field, and Joab and all the Lord's servants are there fighting the war. How could I go and rejoice with my wife and rest and have a good time? No, no, no. He said, God forbid, I will not do that. Huh, wow. And so the next thing you know, David tried to make him drunk and he did make him drunk and he still slept at the king's door. He still refused to go to his own house. And finally, when David saw that he's not going down, he wrote that note, set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire from him that he may die. Now in that story, David is the bad guy.

[John Weaver] Uriah is the good guy. But in the end of that particular story, Uriah dies. And David, of course, is still alive. So there are many true stories that do not have what you and I would call happy endings. Thankfully, there are happy endings and endings with a real surprise for some individuals. You know, the very first verse in the Bible, Genesis one, one, in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. the last book of the Bible in Revelation chapter 11 in verse 15 the Bible says the kingdoms of this world are Become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ and he shall rule or reign forever and ever So there's certainly going to be a happy ending there. That is for sure It's going to be a happy ending for the Saints of God, but it is going to be a real surprise to the One Worlders and the New World Order crowd and all of these dictators and tyrants and despots, and they're going to find out that, number one, they are

[John Weaver] not God, and number two, their wills and their wishes and their wants and their decrees are nothing. They're going to find out that they will be destroyed in the end as well Now the Bible in the book of Revelation chapter 14 in verse 12 speaks about the patience of the Saints and Then of course in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 36 the Word of God tells the people of God You have need of patience Stop and think about this We need patience not just because God tells us that we need patience, but it should be obvious that we need patience for a multitude of reasons. But particularly, we need patience in reference to the justice, judgment, and vengeance of God. If you remember Revelation chapter 6, it was the souls of those who were beheaded for Christ's sake.

[John Weaver] who were under the altar, and they were crying out, How long, O Lord God, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood which was shed by those on the earth? And what does the Bible say? He gave them white robes and told them to be patient a little longer until those who were to be martyred joined with them as well. So we need patience in the sense that It grieves us when we look around and we see the wicked prospering, and we see the wicked reigning so to speak, and we see men left and right with power and position and money defying the Lord Jesus Christ, denying His Word, and trampling His saints under their feet.

[John Weaver] And the truth of the matter is many of us are much like James and John. There is a passage in Luke chapter 9 verses 52 and 54 where Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and He was going to stop in Samaria and Evidently spend the night in that town But when they saw that his face was steadfast to go to Jerusalem the Bible says they received him not Lord's No, no, no, you're not staying here James and John looked at our Lord and said Lord Shall we call fire down out of heaven upon these people as Elijah did let's destroy them right now Well, you know, that's exactly the way a lot of people are we we can't we can't discern Why God does not instantly smite some of these people down. They're so wicked. They're so vile and So we don't forget that truth. We also forget the truth of Deuteronomy 32 verses 34 and 35 I Want you to listen to what God asked? He asked this question Is not this laid up in store with me and?

[John Weaver] sealed among my treasures So God has a particular treasure That he has stored up and sealed that belongs to him alone. You say, what is that peculiar treasure? Well, here's what it is. He said, to me belong vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things which shall come upon them shall make haste. So listen to what he said was his peculiar treasure. Vengeance is mine. Their foot shall slide in due time, and the things that shall come upon them shall make haste.

[John Weaver] There's another truth that you and I often forget, and that's 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 25, where the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ, for he must reign till he has put all of his enemies under his feet. The word reign is a present active infinitive. Oppressive active means it's something that is happening now, and it's continuing to happen. So listen to what he said now, for he must reign, how long? Until he's put all his enemies under his feet. So Jesus Christ is reigning now, and while he is reigning now, he is actively subduing his enemies.

[John Weaver] Now, you may not see it, you may not discern it, But the truth is, he is doing exactly that. What we tend to forget is God may subdue his enemies in at least three different ways. Number one, he may just take their lives. He must simply eradicate them. Or number two, he could simply take their position, their power, their money, and therefore they're ineffective. Number three he could convert them as he did soil of Tarsus and now they're no longer his enemies But they have become his friends now I want you to hold second Chronicles But I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would to Psalm 21 and let me show you The specificity of Exactly what I'm talking about There are none of God's enemies that are going to escape Look at it in Psalm 21, and let's begin reading there with verse 8. Look at what the scripture says. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

[John Weaver] Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against thee. They imagined a mischievous device which they were not able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength. We will sing and praise thy name." So notice he said, Thine arrows upon my strings against the face of them." In other words, God is not embarrassed to judge and destroy his enemies whatsoever.

[John Weaver] So here's a truth, then, that each of us must grasp and we must hold to, and that is simply this. All tyrants, even wannabe tyrants, will end up defeated and destroyed. Their time will be short. Their foot shall slide in due time and the things which shall come upon them Will not tarry but shall make haste now our story In 2nd Chronicles chapter 23 Is one that has a happy ending for believers But in order to understand it You have to understand 2nd Chronicles 21 and 22 And

[John Weaver] we're going to use that as a background just for a moment. But let me just point out something about King Uzziah and King David. I told you that they were remembered. Not, or at least Uzziah, not for his good deeds, but for his rebellion. And the truth of the matter is, David is probably far more remembered for his Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, than he is for anything else. Everybody knows about that. So the point I'm trying to make now is this. Uzziah was a godly man, and so was David. He was classified as a man after God's own heart. But you may destroy a good and godly testimony with one stupid, sinful, rebellious, and disobedient act.

[John Weaver] Let me go a little bit further. You may destroy all of that with one act, but you cannot get it back with one act. You can destroy the trust of a lifetime in one act, but you cannot regain the trust of a lifetime in one act. So you and I need to pay attention to this truth and learn as God has given us These illustrations that we should learn now if you go back in your Bibles to 2nd Chronicles chapter 21 We're going to find that King Jehoshaphat has died and his son Jehoram is reigning in his stead now Jehoshaphat Was a godly man Jehoram his son was an exceedingly ungodly man and I've said this before and I'm still absolutely amazed When you study the kings of Judah and Israel Especially of Judah because all the kings in Israel were wicked kings But when you study the kings of Judah, you will find here's a godly man like Jehoshaphat who sires and raises an ungodly son like Jehoram. You'll find also a godly man like Hezekiah who sires an ungodly son like Manasseh.

[John Weaver] And on the other hand, you'll find some of these wicked kings who sire a godly son. It's absolutely astounding grace and God's mercy runs even among these families. But once Jehoram came to power he did something that was very, very wicked and very wrong. That is he murdered his own brothers. Even though they were not in competition with him. So look at it in 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 1.

[John Weaver] Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. Now watch. And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things with thin cities in Judah, But the kingdom gave he to Jehoram because he was the firstborn Now when Jehoram was risen up in the kingdom of his father He strengthened himself and slew all of his brethren with the sword and divers also of the princes of israel So these these brothers were not necessarily competition.

[John Weaver] They were not fighting for the throne. They had everything they wanted. Their father distributed them throughout the country and gave them great riches as well. And yet he turns around and murders them.

[John Weaver] Now, God now judges Jehoram. So, if you look in verse 12, before, I tell you what, let me answer another question first. I want you to look at And think about this. Jehoram was in the southern kingdom. That is, he was the king of Judah. The northern kingdom was known as Israel. Of course, the southern kingdom was Israel as well, but the northern kingdom had Samaria as its capital. So Jehoram was actually in the southern kingdom. But yet he was ruling and reigning and acting like one of the kings in the northern kingdom, which was totally and completely reprobate. So you'd have to ask yourself this question.

[John Weaver] Why was this man so wicked, so evil, and so ungodly? Well, look in verse 6. Look in verse 6. And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife. And he wrote that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord. So he married Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to ask you a question. Can you imagine having Ahab as a father-in-law and Jezebel as a mother-in-law? You're going to find that the apples do not fall far from the tree. That is for sure now I want you to pay attention to verse 6 and He walked in the way of the kings of Israel Like as he did the house of Ahab for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife Okay now look in chapter 22 if you would and verse 2 I

[John Weaver] Now we're talking about Ahaziah now. This would be the son of Jehoram. 42 years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. And he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah. That was her name. The daughter of Amri. Now wait a minute. If you would look back in 21 in verse 6, there she's called the daughter of Ahab. Now in chapter 22 in verse 2, she's called the daughter of Amri.

[John Weaver] Well, is there a contradiction here? And the answer is no. Well, was she the daughter of Ahab or the daughter of Omri, both? Because Ahab was the son of Omri. And many times in the Bible, you will find that the children, the sons and daughters of the son, are referred to as the children of the grandparents. I mean, Took my grandsons. I would always call them my right-hand man. I mean, you know, yes, they're mine And of course, there's another way that she's called the daughter of Omri Because she followed in the footsteps in his worship in his religion in his politics Just like Ahab did so did she you're going to find out so the reason then is Jehoram was so wicked and so vile.

[John Weaver] He was married to Athaliah, who was a worshiper of Baal and a very, very wicked woman, that is for sure. Now, so because of Jehoram's wickedness, the curse of God came upon him. So if you'll skip down to verse 12, 2 Chronicles 21, And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a-whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself. Behold with a great plague will the Lord smite by people and my children and my wives and all thy goods and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels Until thy bowels fall out by reason of sickness day upon day That's not all if you look in verse 16 over the

[John Weaver] Lord stood up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians and That were near the Ethiopian so he stood up all of these people to come and attack him and bother him now Notice me if you would he is to die of a horrible disease. So if you'll skip down to verse 18 look at this and After all this the Lord smote him in the bowels with an incurable disease And it came to pass that in the process of time after the end of two years his bowels fell out By reason of his sickness so he died of sore diseases and his people no made no burning for him like the burning of his father's now note if you would He had this horrible vile disease Very painful undoubtedly for two years His stomach rotted away everything rotted until His bowels simply fell out. Now, Jehoram now is dead. So upon the death of Jehoram, now his son Ahaziah comes to the throne. So if you look in chapter 22, beginning there with verse 1, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah His youngest son king in his stead.

[John Weaver] Why? Why the youngest? Here's why. For the band of the men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. He was the only one left. So Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. And he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Just one year. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Amorite And he also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction so his wickedness His destruction happens to be laid at the feet of his mother and all of those who were his counselors as well. Now, let me tell you how Ahaziah died since he only reigned one year. Ahaziah was slain by Jehu, the son of Nimshi. Now, you have to understand that the kings of Judah the kings of Samaria oftentimes had the same name or the same sounding name so Ahab had a son by the name of Joram or Jehoram same as Ahaziah's father so Joram or Jehoram the king of Samaria was on the throne there in Samaria

[John Weaver] and he had war with the Syrians And the Syrians wounded him. So he came back. I think it was to Jezreel to be healed. And so all of a sudden now, Ahaziah, the king of Judah, goes now to check on his uncle. So if Joram is the son of Ahab, and Athaliah is the daughter of Ahab, Then Joram, the king of Samaria, king of Israel, is his uncle. Okay. Well, it just so happens at this particular time that God had raised up Jehu, the son of Nimshi, anointed him king over Israel, over in Samaria, the northern kingdom, and gave him an order to eradicate and exterminate the house of Ahab. Okay, when I will know Ahab was already dead because he got an arrow shot through him So while he was taking care of the house of Ahab you remember he came and took care of Jezebel Who was? The wife of Ahab and the Bible says when he came up there she tired her head Painted her face stuck her head out the window a second floor probably or third.

[John Weaver] I don't know which and She looked at Jehu and said had Zimri peace who slew his master the words learn a lesson from Zimri Zimri only rained seven days and he was killed and so Jehu said Who is with me and to eunuch stuck her head out of the window he's a thrower down So they threw her down and he trampled her with the horses. I Maybe he had a chariot ran the chariot over as well if he did but he he actually trampled her down into the ground now so Jezebel is slain a Isaiah has gone up to check on Jehoram Jehoram meets a Isaiah our Jehu meets Jehoram and a Isaiah and a Joram says there's treachery away as I am and as I turns to run so does Joram but Jehu takes care of Joram and then he says Go find a Isaiah. I mean he's in the family of Ahab too because his mother was a Thalia and So they capture a Isaiah and those men with him in Jehu Executes them and puts them to death as well now I want you to take note of two things.

[John Weaver] First of all, Jehoram of Judah died of what you and I would call natural causes. He died of a great bowel disease where his bowels gushed out, but yet it was the judgment of God upon him. Ahaziah dies because he's executed by Jehu, the son of Nemshi. Both men were judged by God. Both men died because of God's judgment. Now, remember Athaliah was the wife of Jehoram of the southern kingdom. She was also the mother then of Ahaziah, who's just been killed. And now, Athaliah does a very un-grandmotherly thing. What does she do?

[John Weaver] She murders all of her grandchildren. If you look in 2 Chronicles chapter 22, beginning there with verse 10. But when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. She murdered her grandchildren. But Jehoshabeth, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabit, the daughter of King Joram, who would have been sister to Athaliah, the wife of Jehoiah the priest, for she was the sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. She hid him in the temple, For he was with them hid in the house of God six years and Athaliah reigned over the land Now let me tell you something about Athaliah Athaliah was not chosen by God Athaliah was not chosen by the people She was a usurper a murderer a thief and

[John Weaver] a tyrant She did not have Neither did she meet any biblical requirements to be a ruler Moreover she certainly was not a son of David She was the daughter of Ahab the granddaughter of Amri Who were Baal worshippers and murderers both Amri and Ahab were murderers as well as Jezebel and They were both tyrants. So she had absolutely no qualifications, and she then got the throne only by murder and usurpation and by theft, and she reigned nearly seven years, reigning in havoc all across the land.

[John Weaver] Now, when you get to 2 Chronicles chapter 23, This is where we begin to see the justice of God coming to pass and being executed. So what happens in 2nd Chronicles chapter 23 is this. Joash, the one grandson of Ahaziah that was not murdered by his grandmother, who is hidden in the temple and was taught and raised by Jehoiada the high priest. was made king at the ripe old age of seven years. I mean, you and I think Seven years and he's made king. What what kind of king could a seven-year-old kid be? But may I remind you the joy that I had taught him and may I remind you that some of our founding fathers not only had graduated with master's degrees by the time we were 13 and 14, but I think it was Sam Adams who went as a diplomat to Russia at the ripe old age of 14 and So things were different back then and by the way, I find it interesting that one of the requirements to get into college back in those days You already had to be able to read write and speak Greek Hebrew and Latin You didn't learn that in college You had

[John Weaver] to learn that at home and many of those children Learn and could read write and speak those languages by the time they were five and six years of age Wow That's a fact. So So here he is in the temple, and he's there, and now at seven years of age, they're going to make him king of Judah and king of Jerusalem. So here's the first truth that I want to point out today. Think about this. The first truth that we should notice in 2 Chronicles 23 is that restoration and justice began on a spiritual level.

[John Weaver] It did not begin with government. So let me put this very plainly. There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice. It doesn't begin at the top because the top is usually always corrupt. So I want you to look at this. So look in 2nd Chronicles chapter 23 at verses 1 and 2. In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of the hundreds and then he names them Look if you would the latter part they he took him into covenant with him and they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah and the chief of the fathers of Israel and they came to Jerusalem so it started with Jehoiada the priest and then he went out and got the other men and The rest of the Levites and they all came to Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] So here's thought something we must learn That true justice is biblical justice And there is no justice apart from biblical justice Because God is the one that determines what justice is Man does not determine what justice is God does That's why you look around today Let's see. I just read where this illegal alien who raped a young girl was released without bail. And here this Daniel Perry who defended a person or two and choked a man and trying to keep him from hurting the others and the man was killed. was put something like under a million dollar bond. So, you know, explain to me how one is justice and the other is injustice. No, no. The rapist should have been under a million dollar bond and they should have given Daniel an honorary key to the city or something. So I'm just simply saying we don't have any justice apart from the Word of God and apart from God Himself. So it's impossible for you and I to know what justice is apart from God and His Word.

[John Weaver] Here's the second truth. The second truth that we need to consider is this, that the restoration of the kingdom, or I'll say this another way, the restoration of the country, the restoration of the nation, their true execution of justice came about through covenant so look if you would in the latter part of verse 1 and What did you want you to do? He took all these men into covenant with him now look down to verse 3 and all the congregation which would be representatives of the people of the nation of the country made a covenant with the king in the house of God and He said unto them behold the king's son shall reign as

[John Weaver] Lord had said of the sons of David so they made then a covenant now We usually do not think covenantally We should We look at our Bibles and we see Our Bible is divided into two parts the Old Testament and the New Testament We fail to understand that the word testament means covenant. So you have the old covenant and you have the new covenant. Not only that, our salvation is based upon covenant. It's based upon the eternal covenant, which we read about in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 20.

[John Weaver] Now the God of peace and brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant Now when you stop and think about this Practically everything in our lives is based upon covenant our marriages are covenantal in nature Our work is covenantal in nature our Church attendance is covenantal in nature. You say, how can that be? Well, I'm under covenant to teach and preach the Word of God. You're under covenant to hear the Word of God taught and obey it. I'm just simply saying you cannot escape covenant. Everything that we do is basically covenant based.

[John Weaver] Now, if you'll skip down to verse 16, I'll show you another verse on this. But look in verse 16, 2 Chronicles 23, And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, that would actually be the Lord, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord's people. Now actually there were two covenants here. Or we could say one covenant in two parts. So he actually made a covenant between the Lord and the King and between the King and the people. If you would hold 2 Chronicles 23 and turn back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 11 and look if you would please at verse 17, you'll see this taught a little more clearly. It's the same thing about Athaliah and Jehoiada. Notice in verse 17 it is, and Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they should be the Lord's people between the king also and the people. So the first covenant, or the first part of it, was between the Lord, the king, and the people.

[John Weaver] So, the king and the people are agreeing to be the Lord's people. They're agreeing to obey Him and follow His word. And then the second part of that covenant is between the king and the people. In other words, the king agrees to rule faithfully and biblically, and the people agree to obey him as long as he does. So, this is covenantally based.

[John Weaver] Now, we do not normally consider this same truth in relationship to ourselves and to our own government. Now, let me just say this. Regardless of your view concerning the Constitution of the United States, it is a covenant. It is a covenant because the states created the federal government, and they said, this is how we're going to interact. So the state said, said, this is how we will support you. And the federal government then turned around and said, I agree that these are my limitations expressed in this document. And we agree to rule according to this constitution. So it is indeed a covenant.

[John Weaver] And now, since there was an agreement It did have some semblance of legality and, of course, lawfulness, even though it was not perfectly and thoroughly biblical. So that means this. Whenever the Constitution is ignored. Overlooked, usurped, denied and overturned. The government then has become despotical and tyrannical. And when it does, it then wants you to obey its every whim, its every desire, its every decree. We are your rulers.

[John Weaver] You must bow down regardless of what we say. Which is a lie. I know he's dead now, but I remember reading years ago about Alcee Hastings, who was a rep from Florida. Someone asked him, what are the rules that you follow when you're making a law or passing a law? And Alcee Hastings responded, there ain't no rules. We make them up as we go. Well, if there are no rules, then we're not a government of law. If there are no laws that are legal and lawful, then we're under dictatorship, we're under tyranny. It's just that simple. Now, let me make one thing clear. And I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this, but I would encourage you, if you don't remember this, to go back and listen to my messages on Romans 13, or at least get my book, read the chapter on the covenantal nature of government. Because in that chapter I explain the fact that in the Bible there is a principle. That principle is this, when one party violates the covenant, it releases the other party from obedience.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think about that. That is true between God and man. God covenanted with Israel. If you obey me, I'll bless you. Guess what? They disobeyed him and he cursed them and sent them into captivity. God was not obligated to bless them in their disobedience and their rebellion. The same is true between man and man. So if Steve agrees to fix my car for a thousand bucks, And he doesn't fix my car. He only halfway fixes my car.

[John Weaver] And he wants me to pay him. I said, I'm not gonna pay him. Why? Well, you haven't fulfilled your end of the covenant. Well, he said, I'll sue you. Fine, sue me. He takes me to court. And the judge says, do you owe this man a thousand bucks? I said, no, I do not. Why do you not owe him? He says, you owe him. I said, here's the covenant. Here's the contract.

[John Weaver] He agreed to fix my car. I agreed to pay him a thousand bucks. He's not fixed my car. I don't owe him a thousand bucks until he fixes my car.

[John Weaver] Now, if that is true between God and man, if that is true between man and man, it's also true between government and man. So when government violates the covenant, we are not obligated to obey, not at all.

[John Weaver] Now, look if you would. Once the covenant was completed and the parties agreed to the covenant in 2 Chronicles 23, The king was brought forth and was given the testimony which was a copy of the law of God. So, if you look in 2 Chronicles 23 and verse 11, the Bible says, Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God saved the king. God saved the king.

[John Weaver] Now, what happened next is absolutely astounding. Just reading what happens next makes me wish that I could have been there just to see the expression on Nepheliah's face. But look at it again. Verse 12.

[John Weaver] Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the Lord, probably the first time she had been there. And she looked, and behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in of the princes and the trumpets by the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and sounded with trumpets, and the singers with instruments of music.

[John Weaver] And such is taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes and said, Treason! Treason! Why? She hears all this noise. She comes in and she sees the one grandson that she missed. And he's anointed king. And she hollers, Treason! Treason! Treason! Athaliah was the one who committed treason. She was a usurper. She was a traitor. She was a murderer. It's just like it is today. She is referring to Jehoiada and those who were with him who were godly men as traitors.

[John Weaver] Do you realize the people today who want to live right, who want to do right, who want to be biblical, who want to be conservative, who want to be constitutional, we're known as right-wing nuts. Even the word patriot has come under fire. Oh, he's a patriot. And by that day, it's a bad connotation. In other words, what Athaliah was doing She was calling all of these people that which she actually was herself.

[John Weaver] She was treasonous and traitorous. And so it is today as well.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at this. Look if you would in verses 14 and 15. Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were sent over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the rangers. And whoso followeth her, let him be slain with a sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the Lord. So he said, Don't kill her in here, let her get out a little ways. Then you kill her, and everybody who follows her."

[John Weaver] This is true, true justice. Would you look at the next statement? Look in verse 15. So they laid hands on her When she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house They slew her there Now remember her mother Jezebel was trampled by the horses. I Like what Adam Clark said listen to this Adam Clark said on this verse so that she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been. Howsoever, she was slain among the stables and the dunghills of King's house. So she died as she lived with the dunghills and the stench of the stables. It was justice executed and justice deserved.

[John Weaver] So here's a picture What is going to happen in the end? here's a picture of what is going to happen to all the tyrants and Dictators and want to be tyrants and dictators all those who hate our Lord all those who fight against him ultimately desecration Dishonor destruction and death await each one. They will die as rebels Having lived against God as outlaws against God and they will die as she died They'll perish with and as the dung for which they lived This is why the scriptures telling us You have need of patience God has everything under control Now let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this in the end God will be reigning supremely and sovereignly just as he is reigning supremely and sovereignly now. And all of those that oppose him shall perish.

[John Weaver] Anyone who thinks that it is possible to overthrow God, to resist him, to deceive him, to stop or thwart him, are deceived and basically They're in for a real surprise. Denial of this reality is nothing more than a death wish. Let me show you. Hold 2 Chronicles very quickly, but look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter 19. Revelation, chapter 19. And look, if you would please, just at the first three verses. Revelation, chapter 19, beginning there with verse 1. After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying hallelujah Salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God Now look at this for true and righteous are his judgments for he has judged the great whore Which did corrupt the earth with her fornication? spiritually politically physically any which way and He's Johnson great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand and again They said hallelujah and her smoke rose up forever and ever in the end Yes All that oppose our Lord Shall be brought

[John Weaver] down to judgment Now here's another truth In the end The saints of God shall be vindicated, blessed, established, and stand in the absolute righteousness and holiness which was perfected by our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to his Father and to his law. In the end, that is in God's ending, Even the earth is going to be released from its bondage of corruption. Read Romans chapter 8. It will be released from its bondage and corruption with all the saints. In the end, in God's ending, paradise will be restored, heaven gained, and the eternity to serve and worship our great God and Savior. It is indeed a happy and blessed ending for those who serve and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Wow. However, it will be a surprise ending to those who hate him and think that somehow they're going to set up a kingdom of their own. No, no, no. The kingdom of this world are going to become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, you and I can look around today and wring our hands. and say, look at all the wickedness, look at all the corruption. We need to remember, he must reign until he has subdued his enemies. And he is subduing them. We may not see it, we may not be able to discern it, but he is doing so. One of my favorite stories and illustrations is that of Martin Luther and his successor, Philip Melanchthon. Of course, you know Martin Luther, Nailed his 95 theses to the castle church door in October 1517 And that actually began the Reformation well, there were times during the Reformation that Listen, not just Luther, but all of those who follow Luther were being persecuted Their goods were being confiscated they were being thrown in dungeons and some were being murdered and And I read where Philip Melanchthon, who succeeded Luther, was walking back and forth across the room, and Luther was at his desk studying and reading. And as Philip Melanchthon walked back and forth across the room, wringing his hands, saying, oh, Luther, oh, Luther, what are we going to do?

[John Weaver] Look at what is happening. Look how they're attacking us. Look how they're trying to destroy us. Oh, Luther, Luther, what are we going to do? It was written that Martin Luther lifted up his eyes from his book and said, let Philip Melanchthon cease to rule the world and all shall be well. God does have it all under control. And the end will be his ending. He will vindicate his saints, destroy his enemies, and give us his grace and glory. Father, we ask for your blessing and help, and we pray, Lord, that you would indeed teach us and build us up in the most holy faith, and give us, Lord, Grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] so so

In The End

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	KDLRUdcFpuY
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-02-09
Dictation Name
Book	Book 141: Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications — Chapter 27
Source Timed Segments	68

Formatted Transcript

Opening

All right, I want you to open your Bibles if you would please today to 2 Chronicles chapter 23. 2 Chronicles chapter 23. We're going to read just a few verses and we're going to come back after an introduction and work through this chapter and probably a couple others as well. So, 2 Chronicles chapter 23, and the title of the message is "In the End." In the End. So look at it. 2 Chronicles 23. Let's just begin with verse one.

And in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Johanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. And they went into Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord has said of the sons of David. This is the thing that you shall do. A third part of you entering on the Sabbath of the priests and of the Levites shall be porters of the doors. And a third part shall be at the king's house, and a third part at the gate of the foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. But let none come into the house of the Lord save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy. But all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand. And whosoever else comes into the house, he shall be put to death. But you be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out. So.

Introduction: The Love of Endings

Weaver introduces the theme of endings, noting that people love happy endings but not all true stories have them. He uses personal anecdotes about TV shows to illustrate the desire to know endings.

In the end, everyone loves a good ending. I know of some folks who are so addicted to the endings of a book that oftentimes they turn to the end of the book and read the ending first, and then they will go back and start the book and read all the way through. But oftentimes in movies as well as in books, there are surprise endings as well. Many times one who reads with attention may be able to find out or discover how the book is going to end before he ever gets there. But on the other hand, no one actually likes to have endings spoiled for them. Most of you know that Alice and I do not have a TV. We haven't had one in years. We do not want one, and we do not have time for one. However, years back, when we used to have a TV, Alice liked that NCIS program, kind of a mystery whodunit, that kind of thing. And occasionally, I would sit and watch that program with her.

Well, when we got rid of the TV, we never watched those programs anymore, obviously. But when we would travel and we would be in motels and we had some time, she would turn the TV on and see if she could find that NCIS program. And I would sit down with her. The program would come on. And after I watched it five minutes, I would look at her and I'd say, "We've already seen this program." I said, "Now to save you some time, I will tell you the plot, and I'll tell you how it ends." She would always look at me, she'd say, "No thank you, I'll watch the replay," because she'd already forgotten it.

So I would get up and go to the computer and go to work and forget it. But you know, we like happy endings. But the truth of the matter is, not every story, not even every true story, has a happy ending. You need to consider 2 Chronicles 26, since you're right there, and this is the story of King Uzziah. King Uzziah reigned for 52 years, which is an exceedingly long reign for a king. He didn't only reign 52 years, he did many wonderful things, obviously good things, and you and I would probably say that he was a good man. But in spite of all that he had done and all of the blessings of the Lord upon him and he was helped by the Lord until—and I'm going to say this again—until his heart was lifted up with pride and he sinned against the Lord. So if you look in 2 Chronicles

chapter 26 in verse 16, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 26:16

"But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense."

And of course, that was reserved for the priests and priests only. So let me just point out a truth before I go any further. This truth needs to be enforced in our minds.

The Danger of One Sinful Act

Using King Uzziah and King David as examples, Weaver warns that a single act of pride, rebellion, or disobedience can destroy a lifetime of godly testimony and cannot be regained with one act.

chapter 26 in verse 16, the Bible says, "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense." And of course, that was reserved for the priests and priests only. So let me just point out a truth before I go any further. This truth needs to be enforced in our minds. And that is this, that a good and godly and obedient life can be destroyed by pride, hardheadedness, stubbornness, and disobedience. Uzziah is not remembered for all of his good deeds. Uzziah is usually remembered and preached about because of this incident at this particular time. He rebelled against the Lord and in this God smote him with leprosy. So if you look in chapter 26 beginning there with verse 18—well, let's read verse 17. "And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God." Now look at this, "Then Uzziah was wroth." "While I'm the king, I can do what I want to do." This is his attitude.

"Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land." So Uzziah is remembered for this rebellion against the Lord.

There's an interesting story that everyone knows about, found in 2 Samuel chapter 11, and that's the story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah. You remember that story, of course, how David had committed adultery with Bathsheba while her husband Uriah was off at war. And when she told him that she was with child, then David thought he was going to cover his deed. And so he sent for Uriah and asked for a report on how the war was going.

Then he sent a mess of meat down to the house. And lo and behold, Uriah slept at the door. And so the next morning, when they told the king what happened, he asked Uriah, he said, "How is it you've come from the battle and you went not down to your own house?" Well, he said, "How could I?" He said, "The ark of God is in the field, and Joab and all the Lord's servants are there fighting the war. How could I go and rejoice with my wife and rest and have a good time? No, no, no." He said, "God forbid, I will not do that." Huh, wow. And so the next thing you know, David tried to make him drunk and he did make him drunk and he still slept at the king's door. He still refused to go to his own house. And finally, when David saw that he's not going down, he wrote that note, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire from him that he may die." Now in that story, David is the bad guy.

Uriah is the good guy. But in the end of that particular story, Uriah dies. And David, of course, is still alive. So there are many true stories that do not have what you and I would call happy endings. Thankfully, there are happy endings and endings with a real surprise for some individuals. You know, the very first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The last book of the Bible in Revelation chapter 11 in verse 15, the Bible says, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." So there's certainly going to be a happy ending there. That is for sure. It's going to be a happy ending for the saints of God, but it is going to be a real surprise to the One Worlders and the New World Order crowd and all of these dictators and tyrants and despots, and they're going to find out that, number one, they are

Scripture Reading — Revelation 11:15

not God, and number two, their wills and their wishes and their wants and their decrees are nothing. They're going to find out that they will be destroyed in the end as well. Now the Bible in the book of Revelation chapter 14 in verse 12 speaks about the patience of the saints. And then of course in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 36 the Word of God tells the people of God, "You have need of patience." Stop and think about this. We need patience not just because God tells us that we need patience, but it should be obvious that we need patience for a multitude of reasons. But particularly, we need patience in reference to the justice, judgment, and vengeance of God. If you remember Revelation chapter 6, it was the souls of those who were beheaded for Christ's sake

Scripture Reading — Luke 9:52-54

who were under the altar, and they were crying out, "How long, O Lord God, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood which was shed by those on the earth?" And what does the Bible say? He gave them white robes and told them to be patient a little longer until those who were to be martyred joined with them as well. So we need patience in the sense that it grieves us when we look around and we see the wicked prospering, and we see the wicked reigning so to speak, and we see men left and right with power and position and money defying the Lord Jesus Christ, denying His Word, and trampling His saints under their feet. And the truth of the matter is many of us are much like James and John. There is a passage in Luke chapter 9 verses 52 and 54 where Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and He was going to stop in Samaria and evidently spend the night in that town. But when they saw that his face was steadfast to go to Jerusalem, the Bible says they received him not. "Lord, no, no, no, you're not staying here." James and John looked at our Lord and said, "Lord, shall we call fire down out of heaven upon these people as Elijah did? Let's destroy them right now." Well, you know, that's exactly the way a lot of people are. We can't discern why God does not instantly smite some of these people down. They're so wicked. They're so vile. And so we forget that truth. We also forget the truth of Deuteronomy 32 verses 34 and 35. I want you to listen to what God asked. He asked this question, "Is not this laid up in store with me, and

sealed among my treasures?" So God has a particular treasure that He has stored up and sealed that belongs to Him alone. You say, what is that peculiar treasure? Well, here's what it is. He said, "To me belong vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things which shall come upon them shall make haste." So listen to what He said was His peculiar treasure. Vengeance is mine. Their foot shall slide in due time, and the things that shall come upon them shall make haste.

There's another truth that you and I often forget, and that's 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 25, where the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ, "For he must reign till he has put all of his enemies under his feet." The word "reign" is a present active infinitive. Present active means it's something that is happening now, and it's continuing to happen. So listen to what he said now, "For he must reign," how long? "Until he's put all his enemies under his feet." So Jesus Christ is reigning now, and while he is reigning now, he is actively subduing his enemies.

Now, you may not see it, you may not discern it, but the truth is, he is doing exactly that. What we tend to forget is God may subdue his enemies in at least three different ways. Number one, he may just take their lives. He must simply eradicate them. Or number two, he could simply take their position, their power, their money, and therefore they're ineffective. Number three, he could convert them as he did Saul of Tarsus and now they're no longer his enemies but they have become his friends. Now I want you to hold 2 Chronicles but I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would to Psalm 21 and let me show you the specificity of exactly what I'm talking about. There are none of God's enemies that are going to escape. Look at it in Psalm 21, and let's begin reading there with verse 8. Look at what the scripture says. "Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against thee. They imagined a mischievous device which they were not able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength. We will sing and praise thy name." So notice he said, "Thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them." In other words, God is not embarrassed to judge and destroy his enemies whatsoever.

So here's a truth, then, that each of us must grasp and we must hold to, and that is simply this. All tyrants, even wannabe tyrants, will end up defeated and destroyed. Their time will be short. Their foot shall slide in due time and the things which shall come upon them will not tarry but shall make haste. Now our story in 2 Chronicles chapter 23 is one that has a happy ending for believers. But in order to understand it you have to understand 2 Chronicles 21 and 22 and we're going to use that as a background just for a moment. But let me just point out something about King Uzziah and King David. I told you that they were remembered—not, or at least Uzziah, not for his good deeds, but for his rebellion. And the truth of the matter is, David is probably far more remembered for his Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, than he is for anything else. Everybody knows about that. So the point I'm trying to make now is this. Uzziah was a godly man, and so was David. He was classified as a man after God's own heart. But you may destroy a good and godly testimony with one stupid, sinful, rebellious, and disobedient act.

Let me go a little bit further. You may destroy all of that with one act, but you cannot get it back with one act. You can destroy the trust of a lifetime in one act, but you cannot regain the trust of a lifetime in one act. So you and I need to pay attention to this truth and learn as God has given us these illustrations that we should learn. Now if you go back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 21, we're going to find that King Jehoshaphat has died and his son Jehoram is reigning in his stead. Now Jehoshaphat was a godly man. Jehoram his son was an exceedingly ungodly man. And I've said this before and I'm still absolutely amazed when you study the kings of Judah and Israel, especially of Judah because all the kings in Israel were wicked kings. But when you study the kings of Judah, you will find here's a godly man like Jehoshaphat who sires and raises an ungodly son like Jehoram. You'll find also a godly man like Hezekiah who sires an ungodly son like Manasseh.

The Wicked Reign of Athaliah

Weaver recounts the background of 2 Chronicles 21-22, detailing the wickedness of Jehoram and Ahaziah, and Athaliah's murder of the royal seed to usurp the throne, emphasizing her illegitimacy as a ruler.

And on the other hand, you'll find some of these wicked kings who sire a godly son. It's absolutely astounding grace and God's mercy runs even among these families. But once Jehoram came to power he did something that was very, very wicked and very wrong. That is he murdered his own brothers. Even though they were not in competition with him. So look at it in 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 1.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:1-6

"Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. Now watch. And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things with fenced cities in Judah. But the kingdom gave he to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram was risen up in the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and slew all of his brethren with the sword and divers also of the princes of Israel."

So these brothers were not necessarily competition.

They were not fighting for the throne. They had everything they wanted. Their father distributed them throughout the country and gave them great riches as well. And yet he turns around and murders them.

Now, God now judges Jehoram. So, if you look in verse 12—before, I tell you what, let me answer another question first. I want you to look at and think about this. Jehoram was in the southern kingdom. That is, he was the king of Judah. The northern kingdom was known as Israel. Of course, the southern kingdom was Israel as well, but the northern kingdom had Samaria as its capital. So Jehoram was actually in the southern kingdom. But yet he was ruling and reigning and acting like one of the kings in the northern kingdom, which was totally and completely reprobate. So you'd have to ask yourself this question.

Why was this man so wicked, so evil, and so ungodly? Well, look in verse 6. Look in verse 6. "And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife. And he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord." So he married Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab.

Now, I want to ask you a question. Can you imagine having Ahab as a father-in-law and Jezebel as a mother-in-law? You're going to find that the apples do not fall far from the tree. That is for sure. Now I want you to pay attention to verse 6. "And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife." Okay, now look in chapter 22 if you would and verse 2.

Now we're talking about Ahaziah now. This would be the son of Jehoram. "Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. And he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah." That was her name. "The daughter of Omri." Now wait a minute. If you would look back in 21 in verse 6, there she's called the daughter of Ahab. Now in chapter 22 in verse 2, she's called the daughter of Omri.

Well, is there a contradiction here? And the answer is no. Well, was she the daughter of Ahab or the daughter of Omri? Both. Because Ahab was the son of Omri. And many times in the Bible, you will find that the children, the sons and daughters of the son, are referred to as the children of the grandparents. I mean, take my grandsons. I would always call them my right-hand man. I mean, you know, yes, they're mine. And of course, there's another way that she's called the daughter of Omri. Because she followed in the footsteps in his worship, in his religion, in his politics. Just like Ahab did, so did she. You're going to find out. So the reason then Jehoram was so wicked and so vile

was he was married to Athaliah, who was a worshiper of Baal and a very, very wicked woman, that is for sure. Now, so because of Jehoram's wickedness, the curse of God came upon him. So if you'll skip down to verse 12, 2 Chronicles 21,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:12-18

"And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of sickness day upon day."

That's not all. If you look in verse 16, "Moreover the

Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians that were near the Ethiopians." So he stirred up all of these people to come and attack him and bother him. Now notice, if you would, he is to die of a horrible disease. So if you'll skip down to verse 18, look at this. "And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. And it came to pass that in the process of time after the end of two years his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness. So he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers." Now note, if you would, he had this horrible vile disease, very painful undoubtedly, for two years. His stomach rotted away, everything rotted until his bowels simply fell out. Now, Jehoram now is dead. So upon the death of Jehoram, now his son Ahaziah comes to the throne. So if you look in chapter 22, beginning there with verse 1, "And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead.

Why? Why the youngest? Here's why. "For the band of the men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest." He was the only one left. So Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. "Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. And he reigned one year in Jerusalem." Just one year. "His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. And he also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction." So his wickedness, his destruction happens to be laid at the feet of his mother and all of those who were his counselors as well. Now, let me tell you how Ahaziah died since he only reigned one year. Ahaziah was slain by Jehu, the son of Nimshi. Now, you have to understand that the kings of Judah and the kings of Samaria oftentimes had the same name or the same sounding name. So Ahab had a son by the name of Joram or Jehoram, same as Ahaziah's father. So Joram or Jehoram the king of Samaria was on the throne there in Samaria

and he had war with the Syrians. And the Syrians wounded him. So he came back, I think it was to Jezreel, to be healed. And so all of a sudden now, Ahaziah, the king of Judah, goes now to check on his uncle. So if Joram is the son of Ahab, and Athaliah is the daughter of Ahab, then Joram, the king of Samaria, king of Israel, is his uncle. Okay. Well, it just so happens at this particular time that God had raised up Jehu, the son of Nimshi, anointed him king over Israel, over in Samaria, the northern kingdom, and gave him an order to eradicate and exterminate the house of Ahab. Okay, now Ahab was already dead because he got an arrow shot through him. So while he was taking care of the house of Ahab, you remember he came and took care of Jezebel, who was the wife of Ahab. And the Bible says when he came up there she tired her head, painted her face, stuck her head out the window, a second floor probably or third.

I don't know which. And she looked at Jehu and said, "Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?" The words, learn a lesson from Zimri. Zimri only reigned seven days and he was killed. And so Jehu said, "Who is with me?" And two eunuchs stuck her head out of the window, he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down and he trampled her with the horses. Maybe he had a chariot, ran the chariot over as well if he did, but he actually trampled her down into the ground. Now so Jezebel is slain. Ahaziah has gone up to check on Jehoram. Jehu meets Jehoram and Ahaziah. And Joram says, "There's treachery, Ahaziah." And Ahaziah turns to run, so does Joram. But Jehu takes care of Joram and then he says, "Go find Ahaziah. I mean he's in the family of Ahab too because his mother was Athaliah." And so they capture Ahaziah and those men with him and Jehu executes them and puts them to death as well. Now I want you to take note of two things.

First of all, Jehoram of Judah died of what you and I would call natural causes. He died of a great bowel disease where his bowels gushed out, but yet it was the judgment of God upon him. Ahaziah dies because he's executed by Jehu, the son of Nimshi. Both men were judged by God. Both men died because of God's judgment. Now, remember Athaliah was the wife of Jehoram of the southern kingdom. She was also the mother then of Ahaziah, who's just been killed. And now, Athaliah does a very un-grandmotherly thing. What does she do?

She murders all of her grandchildren. If you look in 2 Chronicles chapter 22, beginning there with verse 10.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 22:10-12

"But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah."

She murdered her grandchildren.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 22:10-12

"But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Joram, who would have been sister to Athaliah, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, for she was the sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. She hid him in the temple. For he was with them hid in the house of God six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land."

Now let me tell you something about Athaliah. Athaliah was not chosen by God. Athaliah was not chosen by the people. She was a usurper, a murderer, a thief, and

a tyrant. She did not have, neither did she meet any biblical requirements to be a ruler. Moreover she certainly was not a son of David. She was the daughter of Ahab, the granddaughter of Omri, who were Baal worshippers and murderers. Both Omri and Ahab were murderers as well as Jezebel. And they were both tyrants. So she had absolutely no qualifications, and she then got the throne only by murder and usurpation and by theft, and she reigned nearly seven years, reigning in havoc all across the land.

Restoration Begins Spiritually and Covenantally

In 2 Chronicles 23, Jehoiada the priest initiates restoration by making covenants with the Levites and the people, demonstrating that true justice starts on a spiritual level and is based on covenant.

Now, when you get to 2 Chronicles chapter 23, this is where we begin to see the justice of God coming to pass and being executed. So what happens in 2 Chronicles chapter 23 is this. Joash, the one grandson of Ahaziah that was not murdered by his grandmother, who is hidden in the temple and was taught and raised by Jehoiada the high priest, was made king at the ripe old age of seven years. I mean, you and I think, seven years and he's made king. What kind of king could a seven-year-old kid be? But may I remind you that Jehoiada had taught him and may I remind you that some of our founding fathers not only had graduated with master's degrees by the time they were 13 and 14, but I think it was Sam Adams who went as a diplomat to Russia at the ripe old age of 14. And so things were different back then. And by the way, I find it interesting that one of the requirements to get into college back in those days, you already had to be able to read, write, and speak Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. You didn't learn that in college. You had

to learn that at home. And many of those children learned and could read, write, and speak those languages by the time they were five and six years of age. Wow. That's a fact. So here he is in the temple, and he's there, and now at seven years of age, they're going to make him king of Judah and king of Jerusalem. So here's the first truth that I want to point out today. Think about this. The first truth that we should notice in 2 Chronicles 23 is that restoration and justice began on a spiritual level.

It did not begin with government. So let me put this very plainly. There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice. It doesn't begin at the top because the top is usually always corrupt. So I want you to look at this. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 23 at verses 1 and 2.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:1-3

"In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of the hundreds"

and then he names them. Look, if you would, the latter part.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:1-3

"He took them into covenant with him and they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah and the chief of the fathers of Israel and they came to Jerusalem."

So it started with Jehoiada the priest and then he went out and got the other men and the rest of the Levites and they all came to Jerusalem.

So here's something we must learn. That true justice is biblical justice. And there is no justice apart from biblical justice. Because God is the one that determines what justice is. Man does not determine what justice is. God does. That's why you look around today. Let's see. I just read where this illegal alien who raped a young girl was released without bail. And here this Daniel Perry who defended a person or two and choked a man in trying to keep him from hurting the others and the man was killed, was put something like under a million dollar bond. So, you know, explain to me how one is justice and the other is injustice. No, no. The rapist should have been under a million dollar bond and they should have given Daniel an honorary key to the city or something. So I'm just simply saying we don't have any justice apart from the Word of God and apart from God Himself. So it's impossible for you and I to know what justice is apart from God and His Word.

Here's the second truth. The second truth that we need to consider is this, that the restoration of the kingdom, or I'll say this another way, the restoration of the country, the restoration of the nation, the true execution of justice came about through covenant. So look if you would in the latter part of verse 1. And what did he do? He took all these men into covenant with him. Now look down to verse 3. "And all the congregation"—which would be representatives of the people of the nation of the country—"made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the

Lord had said of the sons of David." So they made then a covenant. Now we usually do not think covenantally. We should. We look at our Bibles and we see our Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. We fail to understand that the word testament means covenant. So you have the old covenant and you have the new covenant. Not only that, our salvation is based upon covenant. It's based upon the eternal covenant, which we read about in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 20.

"Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." Now when you stop and think about this, practically everything in our lives is based upon covenant. Our marriages are covenantal in nature. Our work is covenantal in nature. Our church attendance is covenantal in nature. You say, how can that be? Well, I'm under covenant to teach and preach the Word of God. You're under covenant to hear the Word of God taught and obey it. I'm just simply saying you cannot escape covenant. Everything that we do is basically covenant based.

Now, if you'll skip down to verse 16, I'll show you another verse on this. But look in verse 16, 2 Chronicles 23.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:16

"And Jehoiada made a covenant between him"

—that would actually be the Lord—

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:16

"and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord's people."

Now actually there were two covenants here. Or we could say one covenant in two parts. So he actually made a covenant between the Lord and the king and between the king and the people. If you would hold 2 Chronicles 23 and turn back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 11 and look if you would please at verse 17, you'll see this taught a little more clearly. It's the same thing about Athaliah and Jehoiada. Notice in verse 17 it is,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:16

"And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also and the people."

So the first covenant, or the first part of it, was between the Lord, the king, and the people.

So, the king and the people are agreeing to be the Lord's people. They're agreeing to obey Him and follow His word. And then the second part of that covenant is between the king and the people. In other words, the king agrees to rule faithfully and biblically, and the people agree to obey him as long as he does. So, this is covenantally based.

Now, we do not normally consider this same truth in relationship to ourselves and to our own government. Now, let me just say this. Regardless of your view concerning the Constitution of the United States, it is a covenant. It is a covenant because the states created the federal government, and they said, this is how we're going to interact. So the states said, this is how we will support you. And the federal government then turned around and said, I agree that these are my limitations expressed in this document. And we agree to rule according to this constitution. So it is indeed a covenant.

The Coronation of Joash and Execution of Athaliah

Joash is crowned king at age seven, given the testimony (God's law), and Athaliah is executed outside the temple, fulfilling justice as she dies among the stables and dunghills.

And now, since there was an agreement, it did have some semblance of legality and, of course, lawfulness, even though it was not perfectly and thoroughly biblical. So that means this. Whenever the Constitution is ignored, overlooked, usurped, denied, and overturned, the government then has become despotical and tyrannical. And when it does, it then wants you to obey its every whim, its every desire, its every decree. "We are your rulers. You must bow down regardless of what we say." Which is a lie. I know he's dead now, but I remember reading years ago about Alcee Hastings, who was a rep from Florida. Someone asked him, "What are the rules that you follow when you're making a law or passing a law?" And Alcee Hastings responded, "There ain't no rules. We make them up as we go." Well, if there are no rules, then we're not a government of law. If there are no laws that are legal and lawful, then we're under dictatorship, we're under tyranny. It's just that simple. Now, let me make one thing clear. And I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this, but I would encourage you, if you don't remember this, to go back and listen to my messages on Romans 13, or at least get my book, read the chapter on the covenantal nature of government. Because in that chapter I explain the fact that in the Bible there is a principle. That principle is this, when one party violates the covenant, it releases the other party from obedience.

Now stop and think about that. That is true between God and man. God covenanted with Israel. If you obey me, I'll bless you. Guess what? They disobeyed him and he cursed them and sent them into captivity. God was not obligated to bless them in their disobedience and their rebellion. The same is true between man and man. So if Steve agrees to fix my car for a thousand bucks, and he doesn't fix my car. He only halfway fixes my car.

And he wants me to pay him. I said, I'm not gonna pay him. Why? Well, you haven't fulfilled your end of the covenant. Well, he said, I'll sue you. Fine, sue me. He takes me to court. And the judge says, do you owe this man a thousand bucks? I said, no, I do not. Why do you not owe him? He says, you owe him. I said, here's the covenant. Here's the contract.

He agreed to fix my car. I agreed to pay him a thousand bucks. He's not fixed my car. I don't owe him a thousand bucks until he fixes my car.

Now, if that is true between God and man, if that is true between man and man, it's also true between government and man. So when government violates the covenant, we are not obligated to obey, not at all. Now, look if you would. Once the covenant was completed and the parties agreed to the covenant in 2 Chronicles 23, the king was brought forth and was given the testimony which was a copy of the law of God. So, if you look in 2 Chronicles 23 and verse 11, the Bible says, "Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king. God save the king."

Now, what happened next is absolutely astounding. Just reading what happens next makes me wish that I could have been there just to see the expression on Athaliah's face. But look at it again. Verse 12. "Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the Lord," probably the first time she had been there. "And she looked, and behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in of the princes and the trumpets by the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and sounded with trumpets, and the singers with instruments of music.

And such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes and said, Treason! Treason!" Why? She hears all this noise. She comes in and she sees the one grandson that she missed. And he's anointed king. And she hollers, "Treason! Treason! Treason!" Athaliah was the one who committed treason. She was a usurper. She was a traitor. She was a murderer. It's just like it is today. She is referring to Jehoiada and those who were with him who were godly men as traitors.

Do you realize the people today who want to live right, who want to do right, who want to be biblical, who want to be conservative, who want to be constitutional, we're known as right-wing nuts. Even the word patriot has come under fire. "Oh, he's a patriot." And by that they mean it's a bad connotation. In other words, what Athaliah was doing, she was calling all of these people that which she actually was herself. She was treasonous and traitorous. And so it is today as well.

Now, I want you to look at this. Look if you would in verses 14 and 15. "Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges. And whoso followeth her, let him be slain with a sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the Lord." So he said, "Don't kill her in here, let her get out a little ways. Then you kill her, and everybody who follows her." This is true, true justice. Would you look at the next statement? Look in verse 15. "So they laid hands on her. When she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house, they slew her there." Now remember her mother Jezebel was trampled by the horses. I like what Adam Clarke said. Listen to this. Adam Clarke said on this verse, "So that she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been. Howsoever, she was slain among the stables and the dunghills of the king's house." So she died as she lived, with the dunghills and the stench of the stables. It was justice executed and justice deserved.

The Ultimate End: God's Sovereign Reign

Weaver concludes that in the end, God will reign supremely, all tyrants will be destroyed, and the saints will be vindicated. He cites Revelation 19 and encourages patience, trusting that God is subduing His enemies.

So here's a picture of what is going to happen in the end. Here's a picture of what is going to happen to all the tyrants and dictators and wannabe tyrants and dictators, all those who hate our Lord, all those who fight against him. Ultimately desecration, dishonor, destruction, and death await each one. They will die as rebels, having lived against God as outlaws against God, and they will die as she died. They'll perish with and as the dung for which they lived. This is why the scriptures tell us, "You have need of patience." God has everything under control. Now let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this: in the end God will be reigning supremely and sovereignly just as he is reigning supremely and sovereignly now. And all of those that oppose him shall perish.

Anyone who thinks that it is possible to overthrow God, to resist him, to deceive him, to stop or thwart him, are deceived and basically they're in for a real surprise. Denial of this reality is nothing more than a death wish. Let me show you. Hold 2 Chronicles very quickly, but look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter 19. Revelation, chapter 19. And look, if you would please, just at the first three verses. Revelation, chapter 19, beginning there with verse 1. "After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God." Now look at this. "For true and righteous are his judgments, for he has judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication"—spiritually, politically, physically, any which way—"and he has judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Hallelujah. And her smoke rose up forever and ever." In the end, yes. All that oppose our Lord shall be brought

down to judgment. Now here's another truth. In the end, the saints of God shall be vindicated, blessed, established, and stand in the absolute righteousness and holiness which was perfected by our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to his Father and to his law. In the end, that is in God's ending, even the earth is going to be released from its bondage of corruption. Read Romans chapter 8. It will be released from its bondage and corruption with all the saints. In the end, in God's ending, paradise will be restored, heaven gained, and the eternity to serve and worship our great God and Savior. It is indeed a happy and blessed ending for those who serve and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Wow. However, it will be a surprise ending to those who hate him and think that somehow they're going to set up a kingdom of their own. No, no, no. The kingdoms of this world are going to become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.

Now, you and I can look around today and wring our hands and say, "Look at all the wickedness, look at all the corruption." We need to remember, he must reign until he has subdued his enemies. And he is subduing them. We may not see it, we may not be able to discern it, but he is doing so. One of my favorite stories and illustrations is that of Martin Luther and his successor, Philip Melanchthon. Of course, you know Martin Luther, nailed his 95 theses to the castle church door in October 1517. And that actually began the Reformation. Well, there were times during the Reformation that, listen, not just Luther, but all of those who followed Luther were being persecuted. Their goods were being confiscated, they were being thrown in dungeons, and some were being murdered. And I read where Philip Melanchthon, who succeeded Luther, was walking back and forth across the room, and Luther was at his desk studying and reading. And as Philip Melanchthon walked back and forth across the room, wringing his hands, saying, "Oh, Luther, oh, Luther, what are we going to do?

Look at what is happening. Look how they're attacking us. Look how they're trying to destroy us. Oh, Luther, Luther, what are we going to do?" It was written that Martin Luther lifted up his eyes from his book and said, "Let Philip Melanchthon cease to rule the world and all shall be well." God does have it all under control. And the end will be his ending. He will vindicate his saints, destroy his enemies, and give us his grace and glory. Father, we ask for your blessing and help, and we pray, Lord, that you would indeed teach us and build us up in the most holy faith, and give us, Lord, grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Certainty of Divine Justice

Summary: God will ultimately judge and destroy all tyrants and enemies, as seen in the execution of Athaliah and the promise of Revelation 19.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'All tyrants, even wannabe tyrants, will end up defeated and destroyed. Their time will be short.' He also cites Revelation 19:1-3 about God avenging His servants.

The Destructive Power of One Sin

Summary: A single act of pride or rebellion can ruin a lifetime of godly testimony, as illustrated by Uzziah and David.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'You may destroy a good and godly testimony with one stupid, sinful, rebellious, and disobedient act... you cannot get it back with one act.'

The Necessity of Patience

Summary: Believers need patience while waiting for God's justice, as the wicked may prosper temporarily, but God's timing is perfect.

Evidence: Weaver references Hebrews 10:36 and Revelation 6:9-11, saying, 'We need patience in the sense that it grieves us when we see the wicked prospering.'

Covenantal Foundation of Justice and Government

Summary: True justice and legitimate government are based on covenant, and when rulers violate the covenant, the people are released from obedience.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'When one party violates the covenant, it releases the other party from obedience,' applying this to God-man, man-man, and government-man relationships.

God's Active Reign and Subjugation of Enemies

Summary: Jesus Christ is currently reigning and actively subduing His enemies, whether by death, removal of power, or conversion.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 15:25, 'For he must reign till he has put all of his enemies under his feet,' and explains three ways God subdues enemies.

Key Arguments

A good life can be destroyed by one act of rebellion

Summary: Uzziah and David are remembered for their sins, not their good deeds, showing that one act can ruin a testimony.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Uzziah is not remembered for all of his good deeds. Uzziah is usually remembered and preached about because of this incident.'

God's vengeance is certain and stored up

Summary: Deuteronomy 32:34-35 teaches that vengeance belongs to God, and He will execute it in due time.

Evidence: Weaver quotes, 'To me belong vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in due time.'

Restoration must begin spiritually, not politically

Summary: In 2 Chronicles 23, Jehoiada the priest initiated the covenant, showing that true reformation starts with spiritual leaders, not government.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice. It doesn't begin at the top because the top is usually always corrupt.'

Covenant violation releases the other party from obligation

Summary: Using the example of a car repair contract, Weaver argues that when government violates its covenant (e.g., the Constitution), citizens are not obligated to obey.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When government violates the covenant, we are not obligated to obey, not at all.'

Athaliah's execution prefigures the end of all tyrants

Summary: Athaliah died among the stables and dunghills, a picture of the dishonorable end awaiting all who oppose God.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Adam Clarke: 'So that she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been... she died as she lived, with the dunghills and the stench of the stables.'

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 23:1-7

Context: The opening reading of the sermon, describing Jehoiada's covenant and the plan to crown Joash.

2 Chronicles 26:16

Context: Uzziah's pride led him to transgress by burning incense in the temple, resulting in leprosy.

2 Chronicles 26:17-21

Context: The priests withstood Uzziah, and God smote him with leprosy; he remained a leper until death.

2 Samuel 11

Context: The story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah, illustrating how a good man's sin is remembered.

Genesis 1:1

Context: Cited as the beginning of the Bible, contrasted with the end in Revelation.

Revelation 11:15

Context: The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of God and Christ, a happy ending for saints.

Revelation 14:12

Context: Speaks of the patience of the saints.

Hebrews 10:36

Context: You have need of patience, referenced in connection with waiting for God's justice.

Revelation 6:9-11

Context: The souls under the altar crying for vengeance; they are told to rest a little longer.

Luke 9:52-54

Context: James and John wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans, illustrating impatience for judgment.

Deuteronomy 32:34-35

Context: Vengeance is God's peculiar treasure; their foot shall slide in due time.

1 Corinthians 15:25

Context: Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, showing His active reign now.

Psalm 21:8-13

Context: God's hand will find out all His enemies and destroy them; His arrows are against their face.

2 Chronicles 21:1-6

Context: Jehoram's wicked reign, his marriage to Athaliah, and his murder of his brothers.

2 Chronicles 21:12-18

Context: Elijah's prophecy against Jehoram and his death by bowel disease.

2 Chronicles 22:1-4

Context: Ahaziah's reign, influenced by his mother Athaliah to do wickedly.

2 Chronicles 22:10-12

Context: Athaliah destroys the royal seed, but Joash is hidden in the temple for six years.

2 Chronicles 23:1-3

Context: Jehoiada makes a covenant with the captains and the congregation to make Joash king.

2 Chronicles 23:16

Context: Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people.

2 Kings 11:17

Context: Parallel account showing the covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, and between the king and the people.

Historical References

Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon

Context: Weaver recounts the story of Melanchthon wringing his hands during the Reformation, and Luther telling him to cease trying to rule the world, illustrating trust in God's sovereignty.

Alcee Hastings

Context: Weaver quotes former Rep. Alcee Hastings saying, 'There ain't no rules. We make them up as we go,' to illustrate lawless government.

Daniel Perry case

Context: Weaver contrasts the release of an illegal alien rapist without bail with Daniel Perry being held under a high bond, as an example of injustice.

Sam Adams

Context: Weaver mentions that Sam Adams went as a diplomat to Russia at age 14, illustrating that young people in history were capable of great responsibility.

Adam Clarke

Context: Weaver quotes Adam Clarke's commentary on Athaliah's death: 'she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been... she died as she lived, with the dunghills and the stench of the stables.'

Important Quotes

You may destroy a good and godly testimony with one stupid, sinful, rebellious, and disobedient act.

Significance: Summarizes the warning from Uzziah and David that a single sin can ruin a lifetime of faithfulness.

To me belong vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things which shall come upon them shall make haste.

Significance: Key Scripture (Deut. 32:34-35) emphasizing that God's judgment is certain and stored up.

For he must reign till he has put all of his enemies under his feet.

Significance: 1 Corinthians 15:25, used to show Christ's present active reign and subjugation of enemies.

There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice. It doesn't begin at the top because the top is usually always corrupt.

Significance: Argues that true reformation must start spiritually, not with government.

When one party violates the covenant, it releases the other party from obedience.

Significance: Foundational principle for understanding covenantal government and the limits of obedience.

So that she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been. Howsoever, she was slain among the stables and the dunghills of the king's house.

Significance: Adam Clarke's vivid description of Athaliah's ignominious death, symbolizing the end of tyrants.

Let Philip Melanchthon cease to rule the world and all shall be well.

Significance: Luther's rebuke to Melanchthon, illustrating the need to trust God's sovereignty rather than worry.

Discussion Questions

How does the example of Uzziah challenge the idea that a long record of good deeds can outweigh one act of rebellion?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that Uzziah is remembered for his pride and leprosy, not his 52-year reign of good works.

In what ways do we struggle with impatience for God's justice, and how can the truth of Deuteronomy 32:34-35 help us?

Context: Weaver discusses the need for patience when seeing the wicked prosper, citing God's stored-up vengeance.

What does it mean that Christ is reigning now and actively subduing His enemies, and how should this affect our perspective on current events?

Context: Weaver explains 1 Corinthians 15:25 and the three ways God subdues enemies.

How does the covenantal nature of government inform our response when rulers violate their constitutional or biblical limits?

Context: Weaver argues that covenant violation releases the people from obedience, using the U.S. Constitution as an example.

Why is it significant that the restoration in 2 Chronicles 23 began with Jehoiada the priest rather than a political figure?

Context: Weaver stresses that true justice starts on a spiritual level, not with government.

How does Athaliah's cry of 'Treason!' mirror the way biblical patriots are labeled today, and how should we respond?

Context: Weaver compares Athaliah calling the godly men traitors to modern labels like 'right-wing nuts.'

What does the execution of Athaliah among the stables and dunghills teach us about the ultimate end of those who oppose God?

Context: Weaver uses Adam Clarke's commentary to highlight the dishonor of her death as a picture of divine justice.

How can Luther's advice to Melanchthon ('cease to rule the world') help us maintain peace in times of turmoil?

Context: Weaver shares the story to encourage trust in God's sovereign control.

Applications

Guard against pride and rebellion

Summary: Recognize that one act of disobedience can destroy a lifetime of testimony; remain humble and obedient.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'You may destroy a good and godly testimony with one stupid, sinful, rebellious, and disobedient act.'

Cultivate patience for God's justice

Summary: Instead of fretting over the prosperity of the wicked, trust that God's vengeance is stored up and will come in due time.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We need patience in the sense that it grieves us when we see the wicked prospering,' and cites Deuteronomy 32.

Understand government covenantally

Summary: View government as a covenant; when rulers violate it, recognize that obedience is not absolute and may be lawfully withheld.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'When government violates the covenant, we are not obligated to obey, not at all.'

Seek spiritual reformation first

Summary: Do not look to political solutions as the primary means of justice; true restoration begins with spiritual leaders and covenant renewal.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice.'

Trust in Christ's active reign

Summary: Rest in the truth that Jesus is currently reigning and subduing His enemies, even when it is not visible.

Evidence: Weaver explains 1 Corinthians 15:25 and says, 'He is doing exactly that. We may not see it, we may not discern it, but the truth is, he is doing exactly that.'

Do not fear the labels of the world

Summary: When standing for biblical truth, expect to be called treasonous or extremist, just as Athaliah accused the godly of treason.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'She is referring to Jehoiada and those who were with him who were godly men as traitors... it's just like it is today.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:20:01Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:23:15Z

Clean Transcript

In The End

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, I want you to open your Bibles if you would please today to 2 Chronicles chapter 23. 2 Chronicles chapter 23. We're going to read just a few verses and we're going to come back after an introduction and work through this chapter and probably a couple others as well. So, 2 Chronicles chapter 23, and the title of the message is "In the End." In the End. So look at it. 2 Chronicles 23. Let's just begin with verse one.
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And in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Johanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. And they went into Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord has said of the sons of David.
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This is the thing that you shall do. A third part of you entering on the Sabbath of the priests and of the Levites shall be porters of the doors. And a third part shall be at the king's house, and a third part at the gate of the foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. But let none come into the house of the Lord save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy. But all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand. And whosoever else comes into the house, he shall be put to death. But you be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out. So.
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In the end, everyone loves a good ending. I know of some folks who are so addicted to the endings of a book that oftentimes they turn to the end of the book and read the ending first, and then they will go back and start the book and read all the way through. But oftentimes in movies as well as in books, there are surprise endings as well. Many times one who reads with attention may be able to find out or discover how the book is going to end before he ever gets there. But on the other hand, no one actually likes to have endings spoiled for them. Most of you know that Alice and I do not have a TV. We haven't had one in years. We do not want one, and we do not have time for one. However, years back, when we used to have a TV, Alice liked that NCIS program, kind of a mystery whodunit, that kind of thing. And occasionally, I would sit and watch that program with her.
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Well, when we got rid of the TV, we never watched those programs anymore, obviously. But when we would travel and we would be in motels and we had some time, she would turn the TV on and see if she could find that NCIS program. And I would sit down with her. The program would come on. And after I watched it five minutes, I would look at her and I'd say, "We've already seen this program." I said, "Now to save you some time, I will tell you the plot, and I'll tell you how it ends." She would always look at me, she'd say, "No thank you, I'll watch the replay," because she'd already forgotten it.
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So I would get up and go to the computer and go to work and forget it. But you know, we like happy endings. But the truth of the matter is, not every story, not even every true story, has a happy ending. You need to consider 2 Chronicles 26, since you're right there, and this is the story of King Uzziah. King Uzziah reigned for 52 years, which is an exceedingly long reign for a king. He didn't only reign 52 years, he did many wonderful things, obviously good things, and you and I would probably say that he was a good man. But in spite of all that he had done and all of the blessings of the Lord upon him and he was helped by the Lord until—and I'm going to say this again—until his heart was lifted up with pride and he sinned against the Lord. So if you look in 2 Chronicles
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chapter 26 in verse 16, the Bible says, "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense." And of course, that was reserved for the priests and priests only. So let me just point out a truth before I go any further. This truth needs to be enforced in our minds.
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And that is this, that a good and godly and obedient life can be destroyed by pride, hardheadedness, stubbornness, and disobedience. Uzziah is not remembered for all of his good deeds. Uzziah is usually remembered and preached about because of this incident at this particular time. He rebelled against the Lord and in this God smote him with leprosy. So if you look in chapter 26 beginning there with verse 18—well, let's read verse 17. "And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God." Now look at this, "Then Uzziah was wroth." "While I'm the king, I can do what I want to do." This is his attitude.
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"Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land." So Uzziah is remembered for this rebellion against the Lord.
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There's an interesting story that everyone knows about, found in 2 Samuel chapter 11, and that's the story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah. You remember that story, of course, how David had committed adultery with Bathsheba while her husband Uriah was off at war. And when she told him that she was with child, then David thought he was going to cover his deed. And so he sent for Uriah and asked for a report on how the war was going.
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Then he sent a mess of meat down to the house. And lo and behold, Uriah slept at the door. And so the next morning, when they told the king what happened, he asked Uriah, he said, "How is it you've come from the battle and you went not down to your own house?" Well, he said, "How could I?" He said, "The ark of God is in the field, and Joab and all the Lord's servants are there fighting the war. How could I go and rejoice with my wife and rest and have a good time? No, no, no." He said, "God forbid, I will not do that." Huh, wow. And so the next thing you know, David tried to make him drunk and he did make him drunk and he still slept at the king's door. He still refused to go to his own house. And finally, when David saw that he's not going down, he wrote that note, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire from him that he may die." Now in that story, David is the bad guy.
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Uriah is the good guy. But in the end of that particular story, Uriah dies. And David, of course, is still alive. So there are many true stories that do not have what you and I would call happy endings. Thankfully, there are happy endings and endings with a real surprise for some individuals. You know, the very first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The last book of the Bible in Revelation chapter 11 in verse 15, the Bible says, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." So there's certainly going to be a happy ending there. That is for sure. It's going to be a happy ending for the saints of God, but it is going to be a real surprise to the One Worlders and the New World Order crowd and all of these dictators and tyrants and despots, and they're going to find out that, number one, they are
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not God, and number two, their wills and their wishes and their wants and their decrees are nothing. They're going to find out that they will be destroyed in the end as well. Now the Bible in the book of Revelation chapter 14 in verse 12 speaks about the patience of the saints. And then of course in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 36 the Word of God tells the people of God, "You have need of patience." Stop and think about this. We need patience not just because God tells us that we need patience, but it should be obvious that we need patience for a multitude of reasons. But particularly, we need patience in reference to the justice, judgment, and vengeance of God. If you remember Revelation chapter 6, it was the souls of those who were beheaded for Christ's sake
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who were under the altar, and they were crying out, "How long, O Lord God, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood which was shed by those on the earth?" And what does the Bible say? He gave them white robes and told them to be patient a little longer until those who were to be martyred joined with them as well. So we need patience in the sense that it grieves us when we look around and we see the wicked prospering, and we see the wicked reigning so to speak, and we see men left and right with power and position and money defying the Lord Jesus Christ, denying His Word, and trampling His saints under their feet.
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And the truth of the matter is many of us are much like James and John. There is a passage in Luke chapter 9 verses 52 and 54 where Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and He was going to stop in Samaria and evidently spend the night in that town. But when they saw that his face was steadfast to go to Jerusalem, the Bible says they received him not. "Lord, no, no, no, you're not staying here." James and John looked at our Lord and said, "Lord, shall we call fire down out of heaven upon these people as Elijah did? Let's destroy them right now." Well, you know, that's exactly the way a lot of people are. We can't discern why God does not instantly smite some of these people down. They're so wicked. They're so vile. And so we forget that truth. We also forget the truth of Deuteronomy 32 verses 34 and 35. I want you to listen to what God asked. He asked this question, "Is not this laid up in store with me, and
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sealed among my treasures?" So God has a particular treasure that He has stored up and sealed that belongs to Him alone. You say, what is that peculiar treasure? Well, here's what it is. He said, "To me belong vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things which shall come upon them shall make haste." So listen to what He said was His peculiar treasure. Vengeance is mine. Their foot shall slide in due time, and the things that shall come upon them shall make haste.
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There's another truth that you and I often forget, and that's 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 25, where the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ, "For he must reign till he has put all of his enemies under his feet." The word "reign" is a present active infinitive. Present active means it's something that is happening now, and it's continuing to happen. So listen to what he said now, "For he must reign," how long? "Until he's put all his enemies under his feet." So Jesus Christ is reigning now, and while he is reigning now, he is actively subduing his enemies.
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Now, you may not see it, you may not discern it, but the truth is, he is doing exactly that. What we tend to forget is God may subdue his enemies in at least three different ways. Number one, he may just take their lives. He must simply eradicate them. Or number two, he could simply take their position, their power, their money, and therefore they're ineffective. Number three, he could convert them as he did Saul of Tarsus and now they're no longer his enemies but they have become his friends. Now I want you to hold 2 Chronicles but I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would to Psalm 21 and let me show you the specificity of exactly what I'm talking about. There are none of God's enemies that are going to escape. Look at it in Psalm 21, and let's begin reading there with verse 8. Look at what the scripture says. "Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
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Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against thee. They imagined a mischievous device which they were not able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength. We will sing and praise thy name." So notice he said, "Thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them." In other words, God is not embarrassed to judge and destroy his enemies whatsoever.
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So here's a truth, then, that each of us must grasp and we must hold to, and that is simply this. All tyrants, even wannabe tyrants, will end up defeated and destroyed. Their time will be short. Their foot shall slide in due time and the things which shall come upon them will not tarry but shall make haste. Now our story in 2 Chronicles chapter 23 is one that has a happy ending for believers. But in order to understand it you have to understand 2 Chronicles 21 and 22 and
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we're going to use that as a background just for a moment. But let me just point out something about King Uzziah and King David. I told you that they were remembered—not, or at least Uzziah, not for his good deeds, but for his rebellion. And the truth of the matter is, David is probably far more remembered for his Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, than he is for anything else. Everybody knows about that. So the point I'm trying to make now is this. Uzziah was a godly man, and so was David. He was classified as a man after God's own heart. But you may destroy a good and godly testimony with one stupid, sinful, rebellious, and disobedient act.
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Let me go a little bit further. You may destroy all of that with one act, but you cannot get it back with one act. You can destroy the trust of a lifetime in one act, but you cannot regain the trust of a lifetime in one act. So you and I need to pay attention to this truth and learn as God has given us these illustrations that we should learn. Now if you go back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 21, we're going to find that King Jehoshaphat has died and his son Jehoram is reigning in his stead. Now Jehoshaphat was a godly man. Jehoram his son was an exceedingly ungodly man. And I've said this before and I'm still absolutely amazed when you study the kings of Judah and Israel, especially of Judah because all the kings in Israel were wicked kings. But when you study the kings of Judah, you will find here's a godly man like Jehoshaphat who sires and raises an ungodly son like Jehoram. You'll find also a godly man like Hezekiah who sires an ungodly son like Manasseh.
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And on the other hand, you'll find some of these wicked kings who sire a godly son. It's absolutely astounding grace and God's mercy runs even among these families. But once Jehoram came to power he did something that was very, very wicked and very wrong. That is he murdered his own brothers. Even though they were not in competition with him. So look at it in 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 1.
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"Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. Now watch. And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things with fenced cities in Judah. But the kingdom gave he to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram was risen up in the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and slew all of his brethren with the sword and divers also of the princes of Israel." So these brothers were not necessarily competition.
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They were not fighting for the throne. They had everything they wanted. Their father distributed them throughout the country and gave them great riches as well. And yet he turns around and murders them.
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Now, God now judges Jehoram. So, if you look in verse 12—before, I tell you what, let me answer another question first. I want you to look at and think about this. Jehoram was in the southern kingdom. That is, he was the king of Judah. The northern kingdom was known as Israel. Of course, the southern kingdom was Israel as well, but the northern kingdom had Samaria as its capital. So Jehoram was actually in the southern kingdom. But yet he was ruling and reigning and acting like one of the kings in the northern kingdom, which was totally and completely reprobate. So you'd have to ask yourself this question.
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Why was this man so wicked, so evil, and so ungodly? Well, look in verse 6. Look in verse 6. "And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife. And he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord." So he married Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab.
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Now, I want to ask you a question. Can you imagine having Ahab as a father-in-law and Jezebel as a mother-in-law? You're going to find that the apples do not fall far from the tree. That is for sure. Now I want you to pay attention to verse 6. "And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife." Okay, now look in chapter 22 if you would and verse 2.
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Now we're talking about Ahaziah now. This would be the son of Jehoram. "Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. And he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah." That was her name. "The daughter of Omri." Now wait a minute. If you would look back in 21 in verse 6, there she's called the daughter of Ahab. Now in chapter 22 in verse 2, she's called the daughter of Omri.
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Well, is there a contradiction here? And the answer is no. Well, was she the daughter of Ahab or the daughter of Omri? Both. Because Ahab was the son of Omri. And many times in the Bible, you will find that the children, the sons and daughters of the son, are referred to as the children of the grandparents. I mean, take my grandsons. I would always call them my right-hand man. I mean, you know, yes, they're mine. And of course, there's another way that she's called the daughter of Omri. Because she followed in the footsteps in his worship, in his religion, in his politics. Just like Ahab did, so did she. You're going to find out. So the reason then Jehoram was so wicked and so vile
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was he was married to Athaliah, who was a worshiper of Baal and a very, very wicked woman, that is for sure. Now, so because of Jehoram's wickedness, the curse of God came upon him. So if you'll skip down to verse 12, 2 Chronicles 21, "And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of sickness day upon day." That's not all. If you look in verse 16, "Moreover the
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Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians that were near the Ethiopians." So he stirred up all of these people to come and attack him and bother him. Now notice, if you would, he is to die of a horrible disease. So if you'll skip down to verse 18, look at this. "And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. And it came to pass that in the process of time after the end of two years his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness. So he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers." Now note, if you would, he had this horrible vile disease, very painful undoubtedly, for two years. His stomach rotted away, everything rotted until his bowels simply fell out. Now, Jehoram now is dead. So upon the death of Jehoram, now his son Ahaziah comes to the throne. So if you look in chapter 22, beginning there with verse 1, "And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead.
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Why? Why the youngest? Here's why. "For the band of the men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest." He was the only one left. So Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. "Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. And he reigned one year in Jerusalem." Just one year. "His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. And he also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction." So his wickedness, his destruction happens to be laid at the feet of his mother and all of those who were his counselors as well. Now, let me tell you how Ahaziah died since he only reigned one year. Ahaziah was slain by Jehu, the son of Nimshi. Now, you have to understand that the kings of Judah and the kings of Samaria oftentimes had the same name or the same sounding name. So Ahab had a son by the name of Joram or Jehoram, same as Ahaziah's father. So Joram or Jehoram the king of Samaria was on the throne there in Samaria
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and he had war with the Syrians. And the Syrians wounded him. So he came back, I think it was to Jezreel, to be healed. And so all of a sudden now, Ahaziah, the king of Judah, goes now to check on his uncle. So if Joram is the son of Ahab, and Athaliah is the daughter of Ahab, then Joram, the king of Samaria, king of Israel, is his uncle. Okay. Well, it just so happens at this particular time that God had raised up Jehu, the son of Nimshi, anointed him king over Israel, over in Samaria, the northern kingdom, and gave him an order to eradicate and exterminate the house of Ahab. Okay, now Ahab was already dead because he got an arrow shot through him. So while he was taking care of the house of Ahab, you remember he came and took care of Jezebel, who was the wife of Ahab. And the Bible says when he came up there she tired her head, painted her face, stuck her head out the window, a second floor probably or third.
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I don't know which. And she looked at Jehu and said, "Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?" The words, learn a lesson from Zimri. Zimri only reigned seven days and he was killed. And so Jehu said, "Who is with me?" And two eunuchs stuck her head out of the window, he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down and he trampled her with the horses. Maybe he had a chariot, ran the chariot over as well if he did, but he actually trampled her down into the ground. Now so Jezebel is slain. Ahaziah has gone up to check on Jehoram. Jehu meets Jehoram and Ahaziah. And Joram says, "There's treachery, Ahaziah." And Ahaziah turns to run, so does Joram. But Jehu takes care of Joram and then he says, "Go find Ahaziah. I mean he's in the family of Ahab too because his mother was Athaliah." And so they capture Ahaziah and those men with him and Jehu executes them and puts them to death as well. Now I want you to take note of two things.
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First of all, Jehoram of Judah died of what you and I would call natural causes. He died of a great bowel disease where his bowels gushed out, but yet it was the judgment of God upon him. Ahaziah dies because he's executed by Jehu, the son of Nimshi. Both men were judged by God. Both men died because of God's judgment. Now, remember Athaliah was the wife of Jehoram of the southern kingdom. She was also the mother then of Ahaziah, who's just been killed. And now, Athaliah does a very un-grandmotherly thing. What does she do?
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She murders all of her grandchildren. If you look in 2 Chronicles chapter 22, beginning there with verse 10. "But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah." She murdered her grandchildren. "But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Joram, who would have been sister to Athaliah, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, for she was the sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. She hid him in the temple. For he was with them hid in the house of God six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land." Now let me tell you something about Athaliah. Athaliah was not chosen by God. Athaliah was not chosen by the people. She was a usurper, a murderer, a thief, and
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a tyrant. She did not have, neither did she meet any biblical requirements to be a ruler. Moreover she certainly was not a son of David. She was the daughter of Ahab, the granddaughter of Omri, who were Baal worshippers and murderers. Both Omri and Ahab were murderers as well as Jezebel. And they were both tyrants. So she had absolutely no qualifications, and she then got the throne only by murder and usurpation and by theft, and she reigned nearly seven years, reigning in havoc all across the land.
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Now, when you get to 2 Chronicles chapter 23, this is where we begin to see the justice of God coming to pass and being executed. So what happens in 2 Chronicles chapter 23 is this. Joash, the one grandson of Ahaziah that was not murdered by his grandmother, who is hidden in the temple and was taught and raised by Jehoiada the high priest, was made king at the ripe old age of seven years. I mean, you and I think, seven years and he's made king. What kind of king could a seven-year-old kid be? But may I remind you that Jehoiada had taught him and may I remind you that some of our founding fathers not only had graduated with master's degrees by the time they were 13 and 14, but I think it was Sam Adams who went as a diplomat to Russia at the ripe old age of 14. And so things were different back then. And by the way, I find it interesting that one of the requirements to get into college back in those days, you already had to be able to read, write, and speak Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. You didn't learn that in college. You had
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to learn that at home. And many of those children learned and could read, write, and speak those languages by the time they were five and six years of age. Wow. That's a fact. So here he is in the temple, and he's there, and now at seven years of age, they're going to make him king of Judah and king of Jerusalem. So here's the first truth that I want to point out today. Think about this. The first truth that we should notice in 2 Chronicles 23 is that restoration and justice began on a spiritual level.
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It did not begin with government. So let me put this very plainly. There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice. It doesn't begin at the top because the top is usually always corrupt. So I want you to look at this. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 23 at verses 1 and 2. "In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of the hundreds" and then he names them. Look, if you would, the latter part. "He took them into covenant with him and they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah and the chief of the fathers of Israel and they came to Jerusalem." So it started with Jehoiada the priest and then he went out and got the other men and the rest of the Levites and they all came to Jerusalem.
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So here's something we must learn. That true justice is biblical justice. And there is no justice apart from biblical justice. Because God is the one that determines what justice is. Man does not determine what justice is. God does. That's why you look around today. Let's see. I just read where this illegal alien who raped a young girl was released without bail. And here this Daniel Perry who defended a person or two and choked a man in trying to keep him from hurting the others and the man was killed, was put something like under a million dollar bond. So, you know, explain to me how one is justice and the other is injustice. No, no. The rapist should have been under a million dollar bond and they should have given Daniel an honorary key to the city or something. So I'm just simply saying we don't have any justice apart from the Word of God and apart from God Himself. So it's impossible for you and I to know what justice is apart from God and His Word.
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Here's the second truth. The second truth that we need to consider is this, that the restoration of the kingdom, or I'll say this another way, the restoration of the country, the restoration of the nation, the true execution of justice came about through covenant. So look if you would in the latter part of verse 1. And what did he do? He took all these men into covenant with him. Now look down to verse 3. "And all the congregation"—which would be representatives of the people of the nation of the country—"made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the
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Lord had said of the sons of David." So they made then a covenant. Now we usually do not think covenantally. We should. We look at our Bibles and we see our Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. We fail to understand that the word testament means covenant. So you have the old covenant and you have the new covenant. Not only that, our salvation is based upon covenant. It's based upon the eternal covenant, which we read about in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 20.
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"Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." Now when you stop and think about this, practically everything in our lives is based upon covenant. Our marriages are covenantal in nature. Our work is covenantal in nature. Our church attendance is covenantal in nature. You say, how can that be? Well, I'm under covenant to teach and preach the Word of God. You're under covenant to hear the Word of God taught and obey it. I'm just simply saying you cannot escape covenant. Everything that we do is basically covenant based.
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Now, if you'll skip down to verse 16, I'll show you another verse on this. But look in verse 16, 2 Chronicles 23. "And Jehoiada made a covenant between him"—that would actually be the Lord—"and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord's people." Now actually there were two covenants here. Or we could say one covenant in two parts. So he actually made a covenant between the Lord and the king and between the king and the people. If you would hold 2 Chronicles 23 and turn back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 11 and look if you would please at verse 17, you'll see this taught a little more clearly. It's the same thing about Athaliah and Jehoiada. Notice in verse 17 it is, "And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also and the people." So the first covenant, or the first part of it, was between the Lord, the king, and the people.
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So, the king and the people are agreeing to be the Lord's people. They're agreeing to obey Him and follow His word. And then the second part of that covenant is between the king and the people. In other words, the king agrees to rule faithfully and biblically, and the people agree to obey him as long as he does. So, this is covenantally based.
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Now, we do not normally consider this same truth in relationship to ourselves and to our own government. Now, let me just say this. Regardless of your view concerning the Constitution of the United States, it is a covenant. It is a covenant because the states created the federal government, and they said, this is how we're going to interact. So the states said, this is how we will support you. And the federal government then turned around and said, I agree that these are my limitations expressed in this document. And we agree to rule according to this constitution. So it is indeed a covenant.
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And now, since there was an agreement, it did have some semblance of legality and, of course, lawfulness, even though it was not perfectly and thoroughly biblical. So that means this. Whenever the Constitution is ignored, overlooked, usurped, denied, and overturned, the government then has become despotical and tyrannical. And when it does, it then wants you to obey its every whim, its every desire, its every decree. "We are your rulers.
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You must bow down regardless of what we say." Which is a lie. I know he's dead now, but I remember reading years ago about Alcee Hastings, who was a rep from Florida. Someone asked him, "What are the rules that you follow when you're making a law or passing a law?" And Alcee Hastings responded, "There ain't no rules. We make them up as we go." Well, if there are no rules, then we're not a government of law. If there are no laws that are legal and lawful, then we're under dictatorship, we're under tyranny. It's just that simple. Now, let me make one thing clear. And I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this, but I would encourage you, if you don't remember this, to go back and listen to my messages on Romans 13, or at least get my book, read the chapter on the covenantal nature of government. Because in that chapter I explain the fact that in the Bible there is a principle. That principle is this, when one party violates the covenant, it releases the other party from obedience.
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Now stop and think about that. That is true between God and man. God covenanted with Israel. If you obey me, I'll bless you. Guess what? They disobeyed him and he cursed them and sent them into captivity. God was not obligated to bless them in their disobedience and their rebellion. The same is true between man and man. So if Steve agrees to fix my car for a thousand bucks, and he doesn't fix my car. He only halfway fixes my car.
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And he wants me to pay him. I said, I'm not gonna pay him. Why? Well, you haven't fulfilled your end of the covenant. Well, he said, I'll sue you. Fine, sue me. He takes me to court. And the judge says, do you owe this man a thousand bucks? I said, no, I do not. Why do you not owe him? He says, you owe him. I said, here's the covenant. Here's the contract.
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He agreed to fix my car. I agreed to pay him a thousand bucks. He's not fixed my car. I don't owe him a thousand bucks until he fixes my car.
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Now, if that is true between God and man, if that is true between man and man, it's also true between government and man. So when government violates the covenant, we are not obligated to obey, not at all.
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Now, look if you would. Once the covenant was completed and the parties agreed to the covenant in 2 Chronicles 23, the king was brought forth and was given the testimony which was a copy of the law of God. So, if you look in 2 Chronicles 23 and verse 11, the Bible says, "Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king. God save the king."
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Now, what happened next is absolutely astounding. Just reading what happens next makes me wish that I could have been there just to see the expression on Athaliah's face. But look at it again. Verse 12.
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"Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the Lord," probably the first time she had been there. "And she looked, and behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in of the princes and the trumpets by the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and sounded with trumpets, and the singers with instruments of music.
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And such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes and said, Treason! Treason!" Why? She hears all this noise. She comes in and she sees the one grandson that she missed. And he's anointed king. And she hollers, "Treason! Treason! Treason!" Athaliah was the one who committed treason. She was a usurper. She was a traitor. She was a murderer. It's just like it is today. She is referring to Jehoiada and those who were with him who were godly men as traitors.
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Do you realize the people today who want to live right, who want to do right, who want to be biblical, who want to be conservative, who want to be constitutional, we're known as right-wing nuts. Even the word patriot has come under fire. "Oh, he's a patriot." And by that they mean it's a bad connotation. In other words, what Athaliah was doing, she was calling all of these people that which she actually was herself.
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She was treasonous and traitorous. And so it is today as well.
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Now, I want you to look at this. Look if you would in verses 14 and 15. "Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges. And whoso followeth her, let him be slain with a sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the Lord." So he said, "Don't kill her in here, let her get out a little ways. Then you kill her, and everybody who follows her."
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This is true, true justice. Would you look at the next statement? Look in verse 15. "So they laid hands on her. When she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house, they slew her there." Now remember her mother Jezebel was trampled by the horses. I like what Adam Clarke said. Listen to this. Adam Clarke said on this verse, "So that she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been. Howsoever, she was slain among the stables and the dunghills of the king's house." So she died as she lived, with the dunghills and the stench of the stables. It was justice executed and justice deserved.
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So here's a picture of what is going to happen in the end. Here's a picture of what is going to happen to all the tyrants and dictators and wannabe tyrants and dictators, all those who hate our Lord, all those who fight against him. Ultimately desecration, dishonor, destruction, and death await each one. They will die as rebels, having lived against God as outlaws against God, and they will die as she died. They'll perish with and as the dung for which they lived. This is why the scriptures tell us, "You have need of patience." God has everything under control. Now let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this: in the end God will be reigning supremely and sovereignly just as he is reigning supremely and sovereignly now. And all of those that oppose him shall perish.
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Anyone who thinks that it is possible to overthrow God, to resist him, to deceive him, to stop or thwart him, are deceived and basically they're in for a real surprise. Denial of this reality is nothing more than a death wish. Let me show you. Hold 2 Chronicles very quickly, but look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter 19. Revelation, chapter 19. And look, if you would please, just at the first three verses. Revelation, chapter 19, beginning there with verse 1. "After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God." Now look at this. "For true and righteous are his judgments, for he has judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication"—spiritually, politically, physically, any which way—"and he has judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Hallelujah. And her smoke rose up forever and ever." In the end, yes. All that oppose our Lord shall be brought
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down to judgment. Now here's another truth. In the end, the saints of God shall be vindicated, blessed, established, and stand in the absolute righteousness and holiness which was perfected by our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to his Father and to his law. In the end, that is in God's ending, even the earth is going to be released from its bondage of corruption. Read Romans chapter 8. It will be released from its bondage and corruption with all the saints. In the end, in God's ending, paradise will be restored, heaven gained, and the eternity to serve and worship our great God and Savior. It is indeed a happy and blessed ending for those who serve and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Wow. However, it will be a surprise ending to those who hate him and think that somehow they're going to set up a kingdom of their own. No, no, no. The kingdoms of this world are going to become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.
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Now, you and I can look around today and wring our hands and say, "Look at all the wickedness, look at all the corruption." We need to remember, he must reign until he has subdued his enemies. And he is subduing them. We may not see it, we may not be able to discern it, but he is doing so. One of my favorite stories and illustrations is that of Martin Luther and his successor, Philip Melanchthon. Of course, you know Martin Luther, nailed his 95 theses to the castle church door in October 1517. And that actually began the Reformation. Well, there were times during the Reformation that, listen, not just Luther, but all of those who followed Luther were being persecuted. Their goods were being confiscated, they were being thrown in dungeons, and some were being murdered. And I read where Philip Melanchthon, who succeeded Luther, was walking back and forth across the room, and Luther was at his desk studying and reading. And as Philip Melanchthon walked back and forth across the room, wringing his hands, saying, "Oh, Luther, oh, Luther, what are we going to do?
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Look at what is happening. Look how they're attacking us. Look how they're trying to destroy us. Oh, Luther, Luther, what are we going to do?" It was written that Martin Luther lifted up his eyes from his book and said, "Let Philip Melanchthon cease to rule the world and all shall be well." God does have it all under control. And the end will be his ending. He will vindicate his saints, destroy his enemies, and give us his grace and glory. Father, we ask for your blessing and help, and we pray, Lord, that you would indeed teach us and build us up in the most holy faith, and give us, Lord, grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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so so
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:20:01Z

In The End

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver preaches from 2 Chronicles 23, using the story of Athaliah's usurpation and Joash's coronation to illustrate that God's justice will ultimately prevail over tyrants. He emphasizes that a good life can be destroyed by one act of rebellion, that true justice is biblical and covenantal, and that believers need patience as God is actively subduing His enemies. The sermon concludes with the assurance that in the end, God will reign supremely, His saints will be vindicated, and His enemies will be destroyed.

Opening

Introduction: The Love of Endings

Weaver introduces the theme of endings, noting that people love happy endings but not all true stories have them. He uses personal anecdotes about TV shows to illustrate the desire to know endings.

chapter 26 in verse 16, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 26:16

"But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense."

And of course, that was reserved for the priests and priests only. So let me just point out a truth before I go any further. This truth needs to be enforced in our minds.

The Danger of One Sinful Act

Using King Uzziah and King David as examples, Weaver warns that a single act of pride, rebellion, or disobedience can destroy a lifetime of godly testimony and cannot be regained with one act.

Scripture Reading — Revelation 11:15

not God, and number two, their wills and their wishes and their wants and their decrees are nothing. They're going to find out that they will be destroyed in the end as well. Now the Bible in the book of Revelation chapter 14 in verse 12 speaks about the patience of the saints. And then of course in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 36 the Word of God tells the people of God, "You have need of patience." Stop and think about this. We need patience not just because God tells us that we need patience, but it should be obvious that we need patience for a multitude of reasons. But particularly, we need patience in reference to the justice, judgment, and vengeance of God. If you remember Revelation chapter 6, it was the souls of those who were beheaded for Christ's sake

Scripture Reading — Luke 9:52-54

who were under the altar, and they were crying out, "How long, O Lord God, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood which was shed by those on the earth?" And what does the Bible say? He gave them white robes and told them to be patient a little longer until those who were to be martyred joined with them as well. So we need patience in the sense that it grieves us when we look around and we see the wicked prospering, and we see the wicked reigning so to speak, and we see men left and right with power and position and money defying the Lord Jesus Christ, denying His Word, and trampling His saints under their feet. And the truth of the matter is many of us are much like James and John. There is a passage in Luke chapter 9 verses 52 and 54 where Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and He was going to stop in Samaria and evidently spend the night in that town. But when they saw that his face was steadfast to go to Jerusalem, the Bible says they received him not. "Lord, no, no, no, you're not staying here." James and John looked at our Lord and said, "Lord, shall we call fire down out of heaven upon these people as Elijah did? Let's destroy them right now." Well, you know, that's exactly the way a lot of people are. We can't discern why God does not instantly smite some of these people down. They're so wicked. They're so vile. And so we forget that truth. We also forget the truth of Deuteronomy 32 verses 34 and 35. I want you to listen to what God asked. He asked this question, "Is not this laid up in store with me, and

The Wicked Reign of Athaliah

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:1-6

"Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. Now watch. And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things with fenced cities in Judah. But the kingdom gave he to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram was risen up in the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and slew all of his brethren with the sword and divers also of the princes of Israel."

So these brothers were not necessarily competition.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:12-18

"And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of sickness day upon day."

That's not all. If you look in verse 16, "Moreover the

She murders all of her grandchildren. If you look in 2 Chronicles chapter 22, beginning there with verse 10.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 22:10-12

"But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah."

She murdered her grandchildren.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 22:10-12

"But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Joram, who would have been sister to Athaliah, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, for she was the sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. She hid him in the temple. For he was with them hid in the house of God six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land."

Now let me tell you something about Athaliah. Athaliah was not chosen by God. Athaliah was not chosen by the people. She was a usurper, a murderer, a thief, and

Restoration Begins Spiritually and Covenantally

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:1-3

"In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of the hundreds"

and then he names them. Look, if you would, the latter part.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:1-3

"He took them into covenant with him and they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah and the chief of the fathers of Israel and they came to Jerusalem."

So it started with Jehoiada the priest and then he went out and got the other men and the rest of the Levites and they all came to Jerusalem.

Now, if you'll skip down to verse 16, I'll show you another verse on this. But look in verse 16, 2 Chronicles 23.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:16

"And Jehoiada made a covenant between him"

—that would actually be the Lord—

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:16

"and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord's people."

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 23:16

"And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also and the people."

So the first covenant, or the first part of it, was between the Lord, the king, and the people.

The Coronation of Joash and Execution of Athaliah

Joash is crowned king at age seven, given the testimony (God's law), and Athaliah is executed outside the temple, fulfilling justice as she dies among the stables and dunghills.

He agreed to fix my car. I agreed to pay him a thousand bucks. He's not fixed my car. I don't owe him a thousand bucks until he fixes my car.

The Ultimate End: God's Sovereign Reign

In The End

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	KDLRUdcFpuY
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-02-09
Dictation Name
Book	Book 141: Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications — Chapter 27
Source Timed Segments	68

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Love of Endings: Weaver introduces the theme of endings, noting that people love happy endings but not all true stories have them. He uses personal anecdotes about TV shows to illustrate the desire to know endings.
The Danger of One Sinful Act: Using King Uzziah and King David as examples, Weaver warns that a single act of pride, rebellion, or disobedience can destroy a lifetime of godly testimony and cannot be regained with one act.
The Wicked Reign of Athaliah: Weaver recounts the background of 2 Chronicles 21-22, detailing the wickedness of Jehoram and Ahaziah, and Athaliah's murder of the royal seed to usurp the throne, emphasizing her illegitimacy as a ruler.
Restoration Begins Spiritually and Covenantally: In 2 Chronicles 23, Jehoiada the priest initiates restoration by making covenants with the Levites and the people, demonstrating that true justice starts on a spiritual level and is based on covenant.
The Coronation of Joash and Execution of Athaliah: Joash is crowned king at age seven, given the testimony (God's law), and Athaliah is executed outside the temple, fulfilling justice as she dies among the stables and dunghills.
The Ultimate End: God's Sovereign Reign: Weaver concludes that in the end, God will reign supremely, all tyrants will be destroyed, and the saints will be vindicated. He cites Revelation 19 and encourages patience, trusting that God is subduing His enemies.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

A good life can be destroyed by one act of rebellion

Uzziah and David are remembered for their sins, not their good deeds, showing that one act can ruin a testimony.

Weaver says, 'Uzziah is not remembered for all of his good deeds. Uzziah is usually remembered and preached about because of this incident.'

God's vengeance is certain and stored up

Deuteronomy 32:34-35 teaches that vengeance belongs to God, and He will execute it in due time.

Weaver quotes, 'To me belong vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in due time.'

Restoration must begin spiritually, not politically

In 2 Chronicles 23, Jehoiada the priest initiated the covenant, showing that true reformation starts with spiritual leaders, not government.

Weaver states, 'There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice. It doesn't begin at the top because the top is usually always corrupt.'

Covenant violation releases the other party from obligation

Using the example of a car repair contract, Weaver argues that when government violates its covenant (e.g., the Constitution), citizens are not obligated to obey.

Weaver says, 'When government violates the covenant, we are not obligated to obey, not at all.'

Athaliah's execution prefigures the end of all tyrants

Athaliah died among the stables and dunghills, a picture of the dishonorable end awaiting all who oppose God.

Weaver quotes Adam Clarke: 'So that she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been... she died as she lived, with the dunghills and the stench of the stables.'

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 23:1-7: The opening reading of the sermon, describing Jehoiada's covenant and the plan to crown Joash.
2 Chronicles 26:16: Uzziah's pride led him to transgress by burning incense in the temple, resulting in leprosy.
2 Chronicles 26:17-21: The priests withstood Uzziah, and God smote him with leprosy; he remained a leper until death.
2 Samuel 11: The story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah, illustrating how a good man's sin is remembered.
Genesis 1:1: Cited as the beginning of the Bible, contrasted with the end in Revelation.
Revelation 11:15: The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of God and Christ, a happy ending for saints.
Revelation 14:12: Speaks of the patience of the saints.
Hebrews 10:36: You have need of patience, referenced in connection with waiting for God's justice.
Revelation 6:9-11: The souls under the altar crying for vengeance; they are told to rest a little longer.
Luke 9:52-54: James and John wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans, illustrating impatience for judgment.
Deuteronomy 32:34-35: Vengeance is God's peculiar treasure; their foot shall slide in due time.
1 Corinthians 15:25: Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, showing His active reign now.
Psalm 21:8-13: God's hand will find out all His enemies and destroy them; His arrows are against their face.
2 Chronicles 21:1-6: Jehoram's wicked reign, his marriage to Athaliah, and his murder of his brothers.
2 Chronicles 21:12-18: Elijah's prophecy against Jehoram and his death by bowel disease.
2 Chronicles 22:1-4: Ahaziah's reign, influenced by his mother Athaliah to do wickedly.
2 Chronicles 22:10-12: Athaliah destroys the royal seed, but Joash is hidden in the temple for six years.
2 Chronicles 23:1-3: Jehoiada makes a covenant with the captains and the congregation to make Joash king.
2 Chronicles 23:16: Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people.
2 Kings 11:17: Parallel account showing the covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, and between the king and the people.

Historical References

Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon: Weaver recounts the story of Melanchthon wringing his hands during the Reformation, and Luther telling him to cease trying to rule the world, illustrating trust in God's sovereignty.
Alcee Hastings: Weaver quotes former Rep. Alcee Hastings saying, 'There ain't no rules. We make them up as we go,' to illustrate lawless government.
Daniel Perry case: Weaver contrasts the release of an illegal alien rapist without bail with Daniel Perry being held under a high bond, as an example of injustice.
Sam Adams: Weaver mentions that Sam Adams went as a diplomat to Russia at age 14, illustrating that young people in history were capable of great responsibility.
Adam Clarke: Weaver quotes Adam Clarke's commentary on Athaliah's death: 'she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been... she died as she lived, with the dunghills and the stench of the stables.'

Important Quotes

You may destroy a good and godly testimony with one stupid, sinful, rebellious, and disobedient act.

Summarizes the warning from Uzziah and David that a single sin can ruin a lifetime of faithfulness.

To me belong vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things which shall come upon them shall make haste.

Key Scripture (Deut. 32:34-35) emphasizing that God's judgment is certain and stored up.

For he must reign till he has put all of his enemies under his feet.

1 Corinthians 15:25, used to show Christ's present active reign and subjugation of enemies.

There is never ever going to be a top-down restoration nor a top-down execution of justice. It doesn't begin at the top because the top is usually always corrupt.

Argues that true reformation must start spiritually, not with government.

When one party violates the covenant, it releases the other party from obedience.

Foundational principle for understanding covenantal government and the limits of obedience.

So that she was trampled happily by the horses as her mother had been. Howsoever, she was slain among the stables and the dunghills of the king's house.

Adam Clarke's vivid description of Athaliah's ignominious death, symbolizing the end of tyrants.

Let Philip Melanchthon cease to rule the world and all shall be well.

Luther's rebuke to Melanchthon, illustrating the need to trust God's sovereignty rather than worry.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the example of Uzziah challenge the idea that a long record of good deeds can outweigh one act of rebellion?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that Uzziah is remembered for his pride and leprosy, not his 52-year reign of good works.

[Question]

In what ways do we struggle with impatience for God's justice, and how can the truth of Deuteronomy 32:34-35 help us?

[Context]

Weaver discusses the need for patience when seeing the wicked prosper, citing God's stored-up vengeance.

[Question]

What does it mean that Christ is reigning now and actively subduing His enemies, and how should this affect our perspective on current events?

[Context]

Weaver explains 1 Corinthians 15:25 and the three ways God subdues enemies.

[Question]

How does the covenantal nature of government inform our response when rulers violate their constitutional or biblical limits?

[Context]

Weaver argues that covenant violation releases the people from obedience, using the U.S. Constitution as an example.

[Question]

Why is it significant that the restoration in 2 Chronicles 23 began with Jehoiada the priest rather than a political figure?

[Context]

Weaver stresses that true justice starts on a spiritual level, not with government.

[Question]

How does Athaliah's cry of 'Treason!' mirror the way biblical patriots are labeled today, and how should we respond?

[Context]

Weaver compares Athaliah calling the godly men traitors to modern labels like 'right-wing nuts.'

[Question]

What does the execution of Athaliah among the stables and dunghills teach us about the ultimate end of those who oppose God?

[Context]

Weaver uses Adam Clarke's commentary to highlight the dishonor of her death as a picture of divine justice.

[Question]

How can Luther's advice to Melanchthon ('cease to rule the world') help us maintain peace in times of turmoil?

[Context]

Weaver shares the story to encourage trust in God's sovereign control.

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