THE ISAIAH COMMISSION - EXCERPTS FROM ISAIAH

     

I S A I A H

 

T H E     I    S    A    I    A    H            C O M M I S S I O N

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By: Robert Lee Hurley

  

 CHAPTER ONE

 

INTRODUCTION

                   These are selected studies from Isaiah.    The purpose of this introduction is to answer the question: Why?   

But first, what will this study not be?    Well, it will not be a study of the life and times of Isaiah.    I am convinced that if Isaiah stood before us as we start, he would CRY OUT, "Seek the Word of the Lord your God, not knowledge of the living or the dead.    Although it is beautifully written, it will not discuss the beauty of Isaiah's poetic style.         Also, it will not be an exposition of the validity of the authorship of Isaiah.    Jesus quoted and read from the Book of Isaiah.  In John 12:38-41, passages are quoted from diverse sections of the Book of Isaiah and are attributed to the same writer.    Several sources contend that Isaiah is quoted approximately 85 times in the New Testament.

What will we be focused on?  It will be on the message of the prophet, the "voice crying in the wilderness", the prophetic voice crying, "Behold, the Kingdom is coming, behold the King."  I wish to focus on the application of Isaiah today, in a prophetic sense.  Too many of the existing studies try to show that the prophecies of Isaiah are all fulfilled with the first coming of Christ.  I will write about those already fulfilled and those yet to be fulfilled with the Second Coming of Christ.    So then, there will be a definite emphasis on Isaiah as it relates to "end-time events."    "End-time" events are those that are prophesied in scripture and are signs that precede (and follow) the Second Coming of Christ.                                                

The answer to “Why study Isaiah is: the knowledge of the first coming of Christ is the key that unlocks the mystery of Isaiah and all Old Testament prophecy.    And, if, by faith, we believe that the first coming was the physical fulfillment of scripture, then with the same certainty we can know that the prophecies of the Second Coming (and the events that will follow it) will be fulfilled.  As we study, we will find "new treasures taken out of the storehouse" (Matthew 13:52).    We will find many scriptures that explain New Testament concepts. Isaiah is the most quoted of the prophets by the New Testament writers.

Why study Isaiah?    I remember as a child hearing the exhortation from the pulpit every Sunday that we were to search the scriptures daily just as the "early church" did.    Then we were encouraged to study the New Testament. It was a real enlightenment for me to realize, that neither the Bereans, nor Philippians, nor Ephesians, nor any of the early Christians had a "New Testament" to read!    Then, what did they read?    They studied what they were taught from, the scriptures that prophesied the Christ.    So, I believe they were taught at great length from the writings of Isaiah, and the Psalms.    Remember the "eunuch"(Acts 8:28)?    Philip was able to bring him to salvation by the reading of Isaiah.    Jesus taught from Isaiah.    After all, the words were His to begin with.    What a great source the Old Testament can be.

Why study Isaiah?    The book of Isaiah is a book of prophecy.    And, "the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy"(Rev 19:10).   

 When studying prophecy, there are some crucial basics to be aware of. First, there is always only one fulfillment of every single prophecy, never more.    However, to understand the completed fulfillment of the prophecy, our understanding is edified by reading about events that pre-filled the prophecy in "type."

Many "types" of Christ pre-filled His past, present, and future fulfillment of prophecy. For example, Joseph was a pre-fulfillment in various "types" as he was made "dead" to his father, spent time in prison ministering to the prisoners, and after being debased and made into a "man of sorrows", rose to second in the Kingdom with the full authority of the Pharaoh, took a gentile bride, restored his brothers (the nation of Israel) to himself, and built a great nation.     

So many verses in the Old Testament testify to the pre-fulfillment of Christ that it has been said that, "if you are reading the Old Testament and do not see Christ in the passage, you probably are reading it wrong." Similarly, we will find pre-fulfillment of the anti-Christ, the tribulation, the rapture, and other prophetic events, some already fulfilled, with many yet unfulfilled.

Another principle in Bible understanding is that a symbol can have numerous applications, limited only by God's meaning. In other words, a symbol can represent multiple things.    For example, the water of baptism may represent the water of the womb, the enclosure of the grave, the water of the Spirit, the blood of Christ, the water of washing (for cleansing), the water of the flood, and so on. Remember, prophecy pre-fulfillment   is a "type" partial fulfillment (may be numerous).  Prophecy fulfillment will only occur once; Symbols are literal objects or things that represent something else.         

This study will have a literal millennial point of view. This means I believe that every word of the Bible means what it says, and that the ‘catching up’ or ‘rapture’ foretold by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 ["After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."] will take place prior to the "Wrath of God – the tribulation."      Additionally, the "tribulation" is a physical occurrence yet to take place, and at the end of the "tribulation," the Lord Jesus Christ will "come" and defeat the "anti-Christ" and set up His millennial reign [as mentioned in Revelation 20:2, 5, and Micah 4:1-5] on earth.           

To understand the term "anti-Christ" it helps to look at 2 Thessalonians2: 2 -13;    "...for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction... (8)..whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming."       The "tribulation" is a term used in prophecy and is a period that takes place when the anti-Christ makes a covenant with the nation of Israel [Daniel 9:27 "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' He will put an end to sacrifice and offering.    And on a wing of the temple, he will set up an abomination that causes desolation until the end, which is decreed, is poured out on him."]   

Isaiah appears to be a collection of prophesies of future events and historical events that took place during Isaiah's life.    The historical events may or may not have fulfilled prophecy, but I believe we will see pre-fulfillment in the type of future prophesied events. That concludes the introductory remarks.   

Let us invoke Paul's prayer of Ephesians."Father, as we open the writings of Your servant and prophet Isaiah, we earnestly pray that You will send us Your Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, so that as we study Your word, we may know You better.    Teach us to see Your Son and Your Plan in what we read. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

THE COMMISSION

         Chapter six is unique of all the chapters of Isaiah in that Isaiah is not just the vehicle of prophecy, but a participant in the heavenly events.  This chapter is a close-up insight to God's direct intervention in a believer's life.  Upon consideration of this chapter, I believe it can be seen as a call to action to declare the revealed events in Isaiah 1 through 5, which is, the declaration of the prophetic will of God for mankind, .

   

ISAIAH 6: 1 - 13      {NIV} Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.   2) Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  3) And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."  4)   At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5)  "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips,* and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."  6)  Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  7)  With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."  8)  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"  9)  He said, "Go and tell this people: "'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'  10) Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.*Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."  11)  Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?" And he answered: "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12)  until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.  13)  And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."  

       

        Isaiah saw the Lord, seated on a throne.  Who did he see?  Did he see God, the Father?  Well, John l:18 says "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only (the Only Begotten) [NIV]; or- "No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, the only – begotten God....." [Amplified]; or "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He reveals Him."[King James II]. Also, John 6:46  says, "Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.” Other translations say “no man has seen the Father but the Son.”

                         This is an important scripture to study, because if Isaiah did not see the Father, Daniel (10:5-7) did not see the Father, Ezekiel (1:22-28)(10:4,18-19) did not see the Father, and John (Revelation 1:13-16) did not see the Father, then who did they see? 

                         What an important verse ---- no man has seen the Father but the Son (John 6:46).  If we see God in the Old Testament and we do not see Christ, we are missing the greatest lesson of all - the chance to walk with Jesus, to see men like us argue with him, to persuade him, to reason with him.   To learn how we will interact with him for eternity.  To see his nature, his will, his plan is only to read the words of Jesus in the Old Testament.  Read Acts 2:25-36.  It says the Lord that David talked to, appealed to, and was justified by -- was made flesh, crucified, and raised from the dead; was Jesus Christ!   

        So, in Isaiah 6:1, who did Isaiah see?  I am convinced that he saw the pre-incarnate Christ, the Logos, the Memrah, the living Word, the Alpha and Omega, the Ancient of Days, the visible representation of the invisible God (Col 1:15), --- He saw Jesus!  And, he saw him sitting on a throne, a very significant thing in prophecy.

        The Throne of God represents a covenant (Jeremiah 3:17) and is the authority of the Kingdom that will come.   A man (the Messiah) will sit on it.  The man will be of the house of David (Isaiah 16:5, Jeremiah 33:17).  He is and will be a Prophet, Priest, and a King (all roles that, by pre-fulfillment in type, David filled at various times during his lifetime).  This man will be the builder of this Throne and the Temple in which it is placed (Zechariah 6:13).

        Upon Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, He became our High Priest who sits at the right hand, in the heavens, on the Throne of God the Father (Hebrew 8:1, 12:2, Rev 3:21).  Jesus assumes the throne because he earned and purchased the right by his sacrifice.  He also gives to us the promise to sit on the throne with Him (Rev 3:21).     

        Why?  Because he who looks on Jesus looks on the Father (John 6:46).  Because the Father dwells in Him(John 14:10).  Because whoever sees the Christ sees the Father (John 14:9) and because Jesus and the Father are one and Jesus will be given the name "Eternal Father"(Isaiah 9:6).  The Father and the Son are One and They possess the throne together because they are One.

        This is the vision of the resurrected Christ John saw in Revelation 1: 13-18;

13  and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. 14  And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15  and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

16  And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17  And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18  and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

       

        The Father is always pre - eminent in this God - Head relationship, and the Son number two (2); - the "right hand" (see John 14:10).

               In Revelation 4:2-9 we see a passage very similar (to Isaiah 6:1-7).

4:1  After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things." 2  Immediately, I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3  And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 4  And around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 5  And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;

6  and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7  And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8  And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." 9  And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,

 

        In Rev 4:6, note the reference to a sea of glass.  The word "sea", except when referring to a specific body of water, or physical occurrence, refers prophetically to a large quantity of people (i.e., "sound of many waters").  "Crystal" symbolizes purity or clarity which would show faults; hence, these are the "purified" pre-wrath raptured, plus the dead in Christ since Pentecost, plus the "train" (old testament saints) Christ led to heaven from "Sheol" (Ephesians 4:8).  We must be with Him before and during the tribulation if we are to return with him (Rev 19:14, Isaiah 13:3, Isaiah 40:10, and Isaiah 62:11-12.

        We see in Ezekiel 1:26 another reference that is similar to Isaiah 6:1-4 because of the "creatures" and a Throne "high up."  The description is very similar to the description of Jesus in Revelation 1:13-16.  We also see in Ezekiel 1:22 "an expanse sparkling like ice" which probably corresponds to the "sea of glass" mentioned in Revelation.  Also, in Ezekiel 1:1-28, we see a similar revelation. 

 

Ezek 1:1  Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2  (On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile, 3  the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.) 4  And as I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. 5  And within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. 6  Each of them had four faces and four wings. 7  And their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. 8  Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9  their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. 10  As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man, all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. 11  Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. 12  And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13  In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. 14  And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning. 15  Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. 16  The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. 17  Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions, without turning as they moved. 18  As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. 19  And whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20  Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. 21  Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. 22  Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, extended over their heads. 23  And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering their bodies on the one side and on the other. 24  I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. 25  And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. 26  Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27  Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28  As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

 

It is essential to note the similarity of reaction by Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John (Isaiah - "Woe to me! I am ruined! [dying]"; Ezekiel - "fell facedown.”; John - "fell at his feet as though dead."). I conclude that Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the Apostle John (and others in the Old Testament) saw parts of the same specific prophetic vision, although at a different timeline in Earth's history.  This vision in the Old Testament was referred to by Rabbinic tradition, in Hebrew as a “Merkavah.” The word literally means cart or chariot.

        What parts?  Well, a vision of the throne room of God, prior to and during the tribulation (John), and of the millennial temple, the Glory that those events will bring, and the awesome power and divinity of the Lord (Isaiah).  I recommend studying the comparison of Isaiah 6:1-4; Ezekiel 1:22-28; Ezekiel 10:1, Micaiah’s vision – 1 Kings 22:19, and Revelation 4:2-9.     

       See 1 Kings 22:19, Micaiah’s vision;

19  And Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.

               Isaiah is commissioned to declare the message of the Lord.  It is important that the scripture says, "whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?"  I believe this confirms the singular nature of the Godhead and the plurality of the Triune nature of God.  Again, this confirms that Jesus is a part of this commissioning and prophetic picture.

        In v.8 Isaiah has regained his composure just like Ezekiel and John, and has looked back up to the figure on the throne to witness his speaking the words to the assembly.  Just like John, Isaiah was seeing a vision and participating in it.  Evidence, .....Isaiah answered, "Here I am, send me!", accepting his commission.

                         The message given to Isaiah is a warning to the Israelites during the time of Jesus' ministry. Why?  Because Jesus quoted these exact words in Matthew 13 (v.9-10).  Then (Isaiah ch.6 v.11-13) we have a clear description of the total dispersion of the Jews and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  The rest of Isaiah's message declares the plan of God for the nation of Israel today (1948 - tribulation - millennium.

        Isaiah's commission was to go tell the news about what he saw, the earth's future restoration, the millennial kingdom's establishment and the end of that kingdom.

        This is the purpose of the Book of Isaiah - to fulfill Isaiah's commission.  Isaiah's "Commission" was to declare to the Israelites and the nations, the coming of Christ, "His" sacrifice, the rapture, the tribulation, "His" second coming, the millennium, and the "new heavens and earth."    

        This is what Isaiah was to go and tell, and later, write.  It was to be a mystery (Isaiah 6:10) until the last days (Isaiah 6:11-13; 2:2-5), when the Spirit is revealing it to us (Acts 2:16-21).  Succinctly, the "Commission" of Isaiah was to reveal the "Kingdom of God." Listen to what Isaiah says in Ch. 64 v. 1 - 2: (NASB) "Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and comedown,  That the mountains might quake at Thy presence - As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil - To make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence!

        Isaiah could not wait for the Lord to come.  He was yearning for it!  How could Isaiah not feel this way when he had seen the vision of the coming of the Lord in power?

        Isaiah noted that in ch. 5, v. 25 b-30 (about The Day of The Lord), the mountains shake, the Lord Jehovah, Lord of Hosts, will display His Banner and call for His servants from the ends of the earth.  This will be His Angels, the tribulation faithful, the Jewish remnant, the Old Testament faithful, and the raptured Saints.  This will be a mighty moment.  The whole earth will be unnaturally dark, there will be a great and fearsome sound as the Lord gathers his armies, and then the clouds will open as the brilliance of the Lord is seen by all who are on the earth.        

        When confronted by the fearsome and brilliant countenance of the Lord and His mighty entourage, it is not surprising that Isaiah wrote in 2:19,

 “And men will go into caves of the rocks, And into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD, And before the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.”

         Isaiah saw the Jesus Christ we worship. The awesome and Holy Lord Of Hosts who came to earth as a man. Who died for our sins and was resurrected to return to His Power and Glory with the Father!

       LAST DAYS - THE WARNING!!!

When Isaiah 1:1 - 2:5 is read like a chronological event in time, it makes very logical reading:

        Chapter 1:1 - 2:5 (1) The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw         during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.  (2) Hear, O heavens!          Listen, O earth!  For the Lord has spoken: "I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.  (3) The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." (4) Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.  (5) Why should you be beaten anymore?  Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted.  (6) From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness -- only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. 7) Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. (8) The Daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons, like a city under siege.  (9) Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom; we would have been like Gomorrah. (10) Hear the work of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! (11)"The multitude of your sacrifices -- what are they to me?" says the Lord. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.  (12) When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? (13) Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New moons, Sabbaths and convocations -- I cannot bear your evil assemblies. (14) Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.  (15) When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; (16) wash and make yourselves clean.  Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, (17) learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.  (18)"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (19) If you are willing and obedient you will eat the best from the land; (20) but if you resist and rebel you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (21) See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her -- but now murderers! (22) Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. (23) Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts.  They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them. (24) Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: "Ah, I will get relief from my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. (25) I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. 26) I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City." (27) Zion will be redeemed with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness. (28) But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish. (29)"You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen. (30) You will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water. (31) The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire." (2:1) This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: (2) In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3) Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go forth from Zion, the work of the Lord from Jerusalem. (4) He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (5) Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

     LAST DAYS - THE WRATH!

 The Scripture

Chapter 3:1 - 5:30; 3:1, “ See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, (2) the hero and warrior, the judge and prophet, the soothsayer and elder, (3) the captain of fifty and man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter. (4) I will make boys their officials; mere children will govern them. (5) People will oppress each other--man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the base against the honorable. (6) A man will seize one of his brothers at his father's home, and say, "You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!" (7) But in that day he will cry out, "I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people." (8) Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. (9) The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. (10) Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. (11) Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done. (12) Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. (13) The Lord takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. (14) The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: "It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. (15) What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. (16) The Lord says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. (17) Therefore, the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald." (18) In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, (19) the earrings and bracelets and veils, (20) the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, (21) the signet rings and nose rings, (22) the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses (23) and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. (24) Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. (25) Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. (26) The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground. (4:1) In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, "We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!"(2) In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. (3) Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. (4) The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit* of judgment and the Spirit of fire. (5) Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. (6) It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. (5:1) I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. (2) He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. 3) "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. (4) What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? (5) Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. (6) I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it." (7) The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. (8) Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land. (9) The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing: "Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants. (10) A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath of wine, a homer of seed only an ephah of grain."(11) Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. (12) They have harps and lyres at their banquets, tambourines and flutes and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands. (13) Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; their men of rank will die of hunger and their masses will be parched with thirst. (14) Therefore the grave enlarges its appetite and opens its mouth without limit; into it will descend their nobles and masses with all their brawlers and revelers. (15) So man will be brought low and mankind humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled. 16) But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness. (17) Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture; lambs will feed among the ruins of the rich. (18) Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes, (19) to those who say, "Let God hurry, let him hasten his work so we may see it. Let it approach, let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come, so we may know it." (20) Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (21) Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. (22) Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, (23) who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. 24) Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel. (25) Therefore the Lord's anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (26) He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily! (27) Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal thong is broken. (28) Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses' hoofs seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind. (29) Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to. (30) In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be darkened by the clouds.”

 Discussion on scripture

 I believe that the nation of Israel that the Lord is addressing here is the nation that the Lord has regathered in the last days. There are different opinions as to when the last days began. Some say they began on the day of Pentecost, some say when the Jews first began returning to the land in the early twentieth century, and some say when the United Nations recognized Israel as a nation in l948. We know that the "times of the Gentiles" ended in l967.

        How? In Luke 21:24, Jesus says, "......Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." We know that in 70 AD, Rome completely destroyed Jerusalem, and the Jewish survivors were led off into slavery, and the "trampling" of Jerusalem began. We also know that, until that time, Israel was recognized as a nation, although subjugated to Rome, and it did not cease to exist as a nation until 70 AD. From that time until 1948, there was no Jewish nation to possess Jerusalem. And, from l948 to l967, Jerusalem was partitioned off, and Israel did not possess the location of the "old city" until June l967. 

        There can be no argument that from l967 until now, the Jews have possessed the "old" city of Jerusalem and the Gentiles no longer "trample it." Paul is directly referring to this "time of the Gentiles" in Romans 11:25, ".....Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:26) And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. Romans 11:27) And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

        These "last days" that we are in will continue up to and include the seven (7) years of tribulation, and will end on the "Day of the Lord", when Jesus returns. I believe the time - set of Isaiah 1:1 - 2:5 is somewhere between the beginning of the tribulation and the middle.          In the middle of the tribulation, according to Daniel chapter 9, verse 27), the anti-Christ will put an end to sacrifice and offering (also see 2Thess 2:4). That means sacrifice and offering (which were ended when the temple was destroyed in 70 AD) will have begun again. 

        It would be logical to assume that the temple will be rebuilt to begin sacrifice again.  Therefore, I submit that it is logical and highly probable that sometime between now and the beginning of the tribulation (by no authority of God), the temple will be rebuilt, priests will be designated, and sacrifice and offering will be re-instituted. As we look at Isaiah l: l - 17, it is easy to see that these words have been applied many times since Moses. So often, Israel turned their hearts from God while they obeyed the ritual of the Law. They reveled in the sins of the moment, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. With their hearts hardened before God, they offered up meaningless sacrifices, vain offerings, and showy prayers, which were an insult to God.

        David tells us in Psalm 51:17 that "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart." The traditional view of this passage (Isaiah 1) is that this is another one of those times. And, it is a great lesson that we should not fail to apply today as well.  This teaches us that we can offer up many great works in God's Name, but if we do not havea heart for him we only offend him.

But, I have often been bewildered by the saying –

 Isaiah 1:11 "The multitude of your sacrifices -- what are they to me?" says the Lord. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. (12) When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? (13) Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations--I cannot bear your evil assemblies. (14) Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates.  They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them."

    If God meant this, why would he bring the Israelites back from Babylon to rebuild the Temple and reinstate sacrifice, or the same with the renewal of the Temple again during the Maccabean period?  If God detested sacrifice, why did Jesus offer sacrifice and live a life as a perfect Jew? How could he fulfill anything by doing that which is detestable to the Lord?  I believe the answer is found in both explanations. First, God had not ended sacrifice at the time of Jesus, and dutiful, repentant (atoning), sincere sacrifice and offering were pleasant and pleasing to the Lord.

   With the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, all of God's requirements under the Mosaic covenant for animal sacrifice ended.  God's Son died on the cross to end it. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it Matthew 5:17-18).  Therefore, after that time, all dedication of the "blood of bulls and lambs and goats" is rendered of ‘no pleasure’ to the Lord. God tells us this through the prophet Hosea -(2:11)"I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days - all her appointed feasts.

   This was fulfilled at the sacrifice of Christ and brought to pass in 70 AD. I believe that during the tribulation, an apostate temple will have been built on the temple mound in Jerusalem, and in an unauthorized, offensive attempt to restore the "Law of Moses", sacrifice will be re-instituted. That could then be the sacrifice, referred to in Isaiah 1. See also Hosea 4:6b, which says, "I also reject you as my priests because you have ignored the law of your God." This, I believe, clearly points out the principle taught by Peter (1 Peter 2:5) that we as Christians are to be His priests. We replaced the priests of the old order, who failed to follow him!  As has already been mentioned, I also see this passage in the time set of the tribulation.  I can see so clearly this future picture - the temple rebuilt, the nation of Israel (with the encouragement of the antichrist) re-instituting sacrifice.  Because the Muslim Shrine is also so close, it will possibly have become a political victory that the antichrist (by this time he has become a charismatic, widely acclaimed, world leader) engineered by negotiating (the rebuilding of the temple) between the Muslim nations and the Jews.

  I can see the words in Isaiah 1:11-15 coming out of the mouths of the "two witnesses" (Revelation 11:1-11) at mid-tribulation. The two witnesses may speak all of this passage during their forty - two (42) months, but specifically verses 11-15 at this time, concerning the renewed sacrifice.  This may anger the nation of Israel so much that when they cannot stop the two witnesses, they turn to the antichrist for help, with the encouragement of the false prophet (Revelation 13:11, 17). Thus, giving him (the false prophet) the opportunity to stop the sacrifice, set up the "abomination that causes desolation"(Daniel 9:27), the "image in honor of the beast" (Revelation 11:14) and require the world to worship it (verses 15 - 17) (also see 2Thess 2:4). In verse six, the open sores and welts may be the bowls of wrath described in Revelation 16:2.  Verse fifteen ("...Your hands are full of blood.") could be speaking of the mid-tribulation martyrs (Rev 7:13- 14). Verse twenty-six (a) tells us something of the method of justice in the millennial kingdom; redeemed saints will be "judges as in the days of old" and make swift and righteous decisions. 

Why? Because there will be a repopulation of the earth by those still left alive in their natural bodies after the destruction of the tribulation. Because the "sin nature" will still exist in those with natural bodies (although sin will be greatly reduced with Satan bound.... Revelation 20:1 -3), there will still be a need for righteous judgment.        Verse twenty - six (b); "Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City" may mean after the millennium, when the events in Revelation 21 concerning the New Jerusalem take place. Chapter two, verse three, tells us that law will go forth from Jerusalem during the millennium and Christ (the Word of the Lord) will judge between the nations. He will be chief judge, making righteous decisions through judges, in all the nations, as He made judgment over the nation of Israel before it had Kings.

By studying prophecy, we will find certain key words that have a usual symbolic meaning.  The word "mountain" will often be one of these words, being interchangeable with government, or nation." Chapter two, verse two, is referring to the kingdom during the millennium where the Lord's Temple(the one the Lord builds, replacing the apostate temple) is geographically located.  The hills that it is raised above would the lesser, subordinate governments of the world. They will be required to come to Jerusalem to pay homage to the Lord, accept his teachings, and rulings.  They will not be permitted to conduct war, and the Lord God will settle all disputes.     

Chapters 1:1-2:5 demonstrate a pattern of Jerusalem turning away from God.  It shows His great physical wrath being poured out and the land turning barren. It shows us of the existence of a temple, and a call to repentance (the 144,000 (Revelation 7:1 - 17). We are told of a great slaughter by the sword (Isaiah 1:20; Revelation 19:15), of the establishment of the millennial reign of Christ (Isaiah 1:27; 2:2; Revelation 20:3 - 6), and the judgment and dispatching of the unfaithful (Isaiah 1:31; Revelation 20:12 - 15). This passage is very clear when it is viewed in its complete chronological sequence.

Chapters 3:1 - 4:6 is an explanation of events that will take place sometime before the "last day."    Some of the events of prophecy may not be clear until the time they take place, as to their exact form.    For example, when Zechariah’s prophecy in Ch. 9, V.9 that Israel's king would come on a colt, must have been very confusing, until the actual physical fulfillment.    Such prophecies as "make boys their officials," "youths oppress my people, women rule over them," "seven women will take hold of one man," will become clear at the time of the actual fulfillment.    Ch. 3 V. 2 indicates again the common theme; the mighty will fall."    Lawyers, Doctors, Architects (skilled craftsmen) who have trusted in their great achievements, rather than God, will fall.    We have already seen an increase in the "New Age"(Satan's church of the twentieth century), and this is nothing more than the old "enchanters", but with a modern ribbon and bow tied around it.         

What do I mean by the old enchanters?    The same old astrologers, seers, magicians, palm-readers, Satan worshipers, all occult believers, and cults of various and sundry types.    So much will they proliferate (and already are), we begin to understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 24 about the possibility of even the Elect being deceived, if that were possible."       We begin to see today, the worship of "spirits", “channeling", carved images, ourselves as god, and "sacred stones" (crystals for sale in stores in the shopping malls).

        These "stones" are supposed to aid in problems of healing, everyday tension, and a myriad of "miracles."    We have some people this very day, drinking the water these stones are placed in for the spiritual aid they think it will bring.    See what Micah says in 5:10-13:

        "In that day, declares the Lord,..... (12)..I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells ...(13)... I will destroy your carved images and your sacred stones from among you;" Ch 3 V 13 indicates clearly that there will be a Judgment on the day of the Lord's return.

        Ch 3 V 17 may be a fulfillment of Revelation 16:2, and V 24 a fulfillment of Revelation 16:9.    The intense heat may result in a searing or burning that will produce the "stench" (of burnt flesh) and of "branding."      Note in V 18 another reference to magic (crescent necklaces).    

Ch 4 Verses 2-6 are a message of hope, with a clear look at the Lord and His Shekinah Glory descending upon Mount Zion.    How similar is this to the Tabernacle in the wilderness with Moses?    Moses' wilderness experience is also a great example of prophetic pre-fulfillment of an event, which will be finally fulfilled on Mt. Zion, "in that day."

CHAPTER 5:1-7  is a parable about the nation of Israel.  The use of the word "vineyard" is a perfect example of the use of the symbol in bible prophecy.  "Vineyard" is often used to represent the nation of Israel, which is the exact use here.  All students of the history of Israel will know that the Lord often made the land fertile and cleared for occupancy (V. 2).  "Dug up and cleared it of stones" probably refers to the occupants of the land prior to possession by the nation of Israel.  "Planted with the choicest of vines," I believe, means purified and dedicated servants.  I believe this happened when only a few of the original    "exodus” came out of Egypt, and when a few came back from the Babylonian exile, and after the holocaust of World War II, a few came back.

    Each time, the Lord built a "watchtower" - a strong army to protect Israel- and created fear among her enemies. With all of these gifts - fertile soil (good crops), victory in battle, and politics, the men and women turned bad like sour grapes.  Like a loving Father, the Lord asks, "What else could I have done for my vineyard?"    He tells us clearly in V. 7, the vineyard is Israel, the choicest vines were the "men of Judah," and the crop of good grapes is "justice."

   In V. 5, we can pick a clear signal for the point in time intended for this prophecy - 70 AD.    Why 70 AD?    Well, even during the Babylonian captivity, Israel was not totally destroyed.    It was treated as a captive vessel or nation and was ravaged by theft and battle.    Note that when Ezra and Nehemiah returned, the wall was knocked down, and the temple was burned, but portions were left standing.    The destruction was far more complete in 70 AD when the Roman legions fulfilled the prophecy (Luke 21:6) that "not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."

   Also, the exact fulfillment of V. 5 "it will be trampled.  I will make it a wasteland," is predicted by Jesus in Luke 21:24.    It says, "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the gentiles until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled."    We know that the "times of the gentiles" were not fulfilled when Paul wrote Romans 11:25 “For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of this secret—that ye may not be wise in your own conceits—that hardness in part to Israel hath happened till the fulness of the nations may come in.” (YLT)  We also know from history that approximately 2000 years have passed since the destruction of Herod's Temple.    And also, that Israel, as a nation, has not possessed the physical temple site until recently, when the army of Israel took possession of the temple site and the city of Jerusalem in June of l967. It is very possible that the "times of the gentiles" ended on that day in June, l967.

   Remember that in God's time one day is as 1,000 years and a l, 000 years as a day, - and turn to Hosea 6:2 and see how the Holy Spirit clearly points that it will come to pass that the Lord God will destroy the nation of Israel and tear it up, but in 2,000 years (two days) he will "revive us (Israel)."    And on the third day or final l,000 years, he will "restore us (Israel)."      I believe it is saying here that toward the end of the time of the Gentiles, which will last approximately 2,000 years, Israel will be "revived."    This has happened - beginning in 1920, 1948, and 1967.  The calling of Jews to Israel from all over the world is going on even now.

 Israel will be fully restored to the Lord upon the return of Christ. He will reign in the millennial Temple and David will be the ruler (prince) of Israel (Ezekiel 34:24).    To know that this is the time of the millennium, read Ezekiel 34:25-31.   

        Therefore, to summarize this thought, I am saying that the "two days" are the 2,000 years from 70 AD to the present, and the "third day" of restoration is yet to come and is the thousand-year millennium prophesied in Revelation 20:6-7.

CHAPTER 5:8-15 speaks to the nation of Israel before the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It speaks to them of greed (V.8) and destruction due to their ungodly works. CHAPTER 5:16-30 shows the chronology continued from V. 15, moving from the destruction in 70 AD to the "last days. V. 17 has been fulfilled because Palestine was dry and barren, and the ruins stood for centuries.    Truly, sheep grazed where the rich once lived. V. 17 - 25a is a list of woes that will befall those named as the judgment of the Lord falls during the tribulation.    V. 25b -30 is The Day of The Lord.   The mountains shake, the Lord Jehovah, Lord of Hosts, will display His Banner and call for His servants from the ends of the earth.   

This will be His Angels, the tribulation faithful, the Jewish remnant, the Old Testament faithful, and the raptured Saints.    This will be a mighty moment.    The whole earth will be unnaturally dark, there will be a great and fearsome sound as the Lord gathers his armies, and then the clouds will open as the brilliance of the Lord is seen by all who are on the earth.  

To summarize the theme of the passages from Isaiah 1:1 - 5:30:           

·         Verses 1:1 - 2:5......Chronological description of Israel; time-set approximately from the beginning of the tribulation to the end of the millennium.  

·         Verses 2:6 - 5:30 ..... Commentary on and expansion of 1:1 - 2:5; and, the physical effects of God's wrath during the time described in 1:1 - 2:5.

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

CHRONOLOGY OF: GOD’S  ADVENT, RAPTURE, AND EPIPHANY

 

        In Isaiah 26:13 through 27:13, we are given an interesting chronology of God's plan and a sequence of events.  God has disclosed so much to us in these last days if we just trust to read and believe.  Look at what it says -

    

"Isaiah 26:13 (ESV)  O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance. 14  They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them. 15  But you have increased the nation, O LORD, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land. 16  O LORD, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them

The prophet refers to the nations that ruled over Israel, such as Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Rome.  They were all brought to dusty death by God and His time.  By Jesus, God expanded the borders of His family to all nations who would hear and accept.  Many of the people sought God, but were dragged down by the disobedient children of Israel.  

    

Isaiah 26:17 (ESV) “Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD; 18  we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.”

 

        The bible has many references to "birth pangs" when major changes take place in the plan of God.  I believe this is a reference to the beginning birth pangs of the end times in God's plan.  The people of Israel cried for the coming of the end times under the heel of the Roman Legions. "Matthew 24:7 - Jesus says, "For Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.  v 8 But all these are merely the beginning of birth pangs."  Also, Romans 8:22 says, "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now."  And, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, "While they are saying 'Peace and Safety!', then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."   Birth pangs are unique because they start light in intensity and are fairly far apart.  But they increase in frequency and intensity until the birth comes.  And once the pangs have begun, nothing can stop them.             

       Isaiah 26:19 "Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.” 

        I think this can only be a reference to the catching up (rapture).  1st Thessalonians 4:15 says, "...we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep."  And, V 17 "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Note that Isaiah 26:19 implies that the dead will rise first, just as Paul clearly says.  Isaiah 26:20, I believe, speaks to those left alive who will be called up in the rapture, and be saved from the wrath of God during the awful tribulation (or wrath) prophesied by Daniel and spoken of by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, when Isaiah says (26:20): 

 

‘ Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. 21  For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.” (ESV)

          The rest of the passage (Isaiah 27:1 to 27:13) speaks of the binding of the Serpent (Satan), as also written in Revelation 20:1 - 3, and the destruction of the dragon (the beast) in Revelation 19:19 - 20.  It speaks to the future earthly reign of the Lord in Jerusalem:               

    Isaiah 27:12 “In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 13  And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem. 

     After reading this, and believing that the Bible simply means what it says, I feel I must believe in a pre-wrath catching up or ‘rapture,’ and a physical coming of the Lord to earth on "The Day of the Lord."

 

THE ARMIES OF GOD!

          In the book of Revelation, we are given a look into what many call "the advent," Revelation 19:11 - 16.  As Isaiah has taught us in Isaiah 13:10, the light will be darkened.  In Amos 8:9, we see that on "the day of the Lord," the whole earth will be eerily dark at noon.  I believe it will be a strange darkness that will be the kind of darkness that brings terror to men's souls.    

        Then, a strange light will be spotted in the sky, and all of the communications networks, by satellite, will beam the image around the world so the whole earth will simultaneously watch it.  Work will stop, and people everywhere will either go outside to see or go to their television sets.       The light will grow, and the giant telescopes will link up to the communications satellites and add the image they pick up.   What will they see?  It will be a vision of great hope to a few, but a wrenching sight to the many.  They will see the literal fulfillment of Isaiah 34:4: "All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine. What a magnificent sight this will be!

       Revelation 19:11-14 tells us:  "And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True;  and in righteousness He judges and wages war.12  And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems (crowns);  and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself.13  And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood;   and His name is called The Word of God.14  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses."

Of course, this is Jesus.  The first chapter of John teaches us that Jesus was the Word of God. How encouraging this scene is to every believer.  But how much more encouraging it is if we know who the armies are.  Let us note that the word armies is used plural, indicating more than one army. 

So, who are they?  We need to look at who God's 'elect' are throughout the Bible, but briefly they are the angels, the righteous dead (those who died before the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and those who have died in Christ since), and possibly the raptured saints (see Isaiah 5:26, Matthew 24:31, and 1 Timothy 5:21).  We read about these raptured saints in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 - 17.  Many do not want the army to be comprised of any raptured saints.  This is because they do not want to believe in a pre-advent rapture.  After all, why would Jesus come to call us home, and then immediately go back up to the heavens, and then do a "U" turn and come right back?  So, many insist that these armies are angels.  But are they just angels, as so many want to believe?

        Well, first, as I noted, there is more than one army with the Lord on this awesome day.  I believe that one of the armies is the angels of God. I also think it is the Old Testament Saints and those who died in Christ since. I think it is also those raptured before the tribulation (see analysis of the rapture in Isaiah 26:20).  Also, I believe it is those who have been faithful during the tribulation and those who have been martyred, in Revelation 14:12-13.  I also think it is the two witnesses from Revelation 11:3-12 who will be caught up to the Lord.  And, Elijah and Enoch, who were caught up to the Lord before death.

        Why am I so convinced these armies will consist of more than the angels?  Because Isaiah and the bible tell me so. Isaiah 13:3 says, "I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, my proudly exulting ones, to execute My anger."  And, v 4 says "...... the army for battle."  v 5 says "they are coming from a far country, from the farthest horizons, The Lord and His instruments of indignation..."  Zechariah 14:5 says "...Then the Lord, My God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!  Isaiah 40:10 says "...Behold, His Reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him."  Isaiah 62:11 tells us what the reward is.  Listen, "Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.  And they will call them 'The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord."             

        Psalm 50:5 says about the coming of the Lord, "Gather My godly ones to me (interpretation - saved humans), those who have made covenant with Me by sacrifice."

        Recompense means "purchased", or "wages for work performed."  One of the "armies of God" is clearly the "redeemed, the bought back" or "purchased". It is those who have been made godly by the covenant of sacrifice.  What great news this is!  One of the "armies" of God is clearly the Saints.  Revelation 22:12 says, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."

        Revelation 22:12 sounds like this "reward" will assist the Lord on Judgment Day.  I believe that is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 6:3, "Do you not know that we shall judge angels?...Is not a truth?  We can see in Isaiah that we will be in the "armies" of God, when He comes on Judgement Day! 

 THE CHILD!

 In Isaiah, the seventh chapter, the "child" is prophesied:

  "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey at the time.  He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.  16 For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken."

      The literal translation of the word virgin is maiden, and many commentators think that this refers to Isaiah's second wife.  Let's see who this is addressing.  In verse 14, the Lord says it (not to Isaiah) directly to "the house of David", the tribe of Judah.  Therefore, we need to look to the New Testament for confirmation. Matthew 1:23 says that the virgin birth of Jesus by Mary was the exact fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, bringing the hope of the world, Immanuel (God with us), into the world.

The age of knowledge for the boy in the passage would probably be the traditional age of 13 for boys raised in the Mosaic tradition. The difficulty in this passage is in the commentaries insisting that the two kings are from Assyria at the time of the writing.  But I submit to you that this is an exact fulfillment during the time of Christ.

        Herod the Great was a greatly dreaded king who died the year Jesus was born, around 4-6 BC.  I believe that he died shortly after He ordered the death of all infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). 

        The province of Galilee was awarded to Herod's son, Archelaus, who was extraordinarily cruel.  He only lasted 10 years and died in 6 AD Therefore, "before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good," the two evil kings were "forsaken" (taken away).  Let us consider Isaiah 9: 2 - 7 (NASB):

 "2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.  3  Thou shalt multiply the nation, Thou shalt increase their gladness; they will be glad in Thy presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.  4 For Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.  5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.  6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;  and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness.”   

 

Isaiah 9:2-7 is a misunderstood passage.  It is always quoted at Christmas time about the baby Jesus (v6). But we neglect to observe how great a message is at the end of the verse when it says that the child will be called the Eternal Father."   How overlooked is the fact that in this passage, one of the names of Jesus is “Eternal Father.?”

Do we need more proof that the Eternal God of the Ages, "God the Father", came to reside in all His fullness (Colossians 1:19) and dwell in Jesus the man, born of a virgin?  Jesus said, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?  The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works." (John 14:10).      The burning in Isaiah 9:5 is probably a reference to Ezekiel 39:9 - 10.

                         And we see again, the great millennial reign promise, repeated over and over in Isaiah, in Isaiah 9:7.  Interestingly, here we see a reference to the throne of David.  The Messiah will reign on the throne of David and over the kingdom of David.  See Ezekiel 34:24, where the regathering of the nation of Israel is first discussed, its judging, and then it says, "Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. (24)  And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken."

           That seems pretty straightforward.  The Lord Yeshua (Jesus), Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, will reign on the throne of David, and David (who is very dead and in the grave at the time of the writing of Isaiah) will be prince over Israel, under the King of Kings.  And He will establish His Kingdom and "uphold it with justice and righteousness."

 

 CHAPTER THREE

 Jesus Quoting Isaiah

         Isaiah 29:13  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, Isa 29:14  therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” 

        And Jesus said, Matthew 15:7,  “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8  This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9  in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (ESV) 

        Isaiah 61:1, 2(A) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,

        And Jesus said, Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (ESV)

     What is interesting, in the study of prophecy, is that in this passage, we find a split prophecy. Verses from Isaiah, chapter 61, and verses 1 and 2(A), Jesus clearly stops with what had been fulfilled. Jesus read a partial amount and said (in verses, Luke, chapter 4, verse 21) ……. “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

This meant what He had read and what they had heard was fulfilled that day, but what he did not read for their hearing was the rest of verse 2 and chapter 61, as well as the rest of Isaiah, which speaks clearly to end-time events and the coming apocalypse.  Only when we read Luke 4:18 do we begin to understand the 61st and concluding chapters of Isaiah.

New Testament Writers quoting Isaiah

     With further investigation, we note that Isaiah is quoted (or alluded to) in the Gospels approximately 21 times, 25 times in Paul's letters, 6 times in 1 Peter, 5 times in Acts, 4 times in Revelation, and once in Hebrews. I will not go over them all but only point to ones I think are most significant.

Isa 45:9  “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’? 

Rom 9:20  But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 

 And, Isaiah 45:23  By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ 

Rom 14:11  for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 

Php 2:10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)

And, Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 

Rom 10:16  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 

  

PAUL – STAMMERING LIPS

 One comparison I have come up with is (“Stammering lips):

Isa 28:11  For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people, 12  to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear. 28:13  And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. 

Paul;

1Co 12:7  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8  For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 

1Co 12:27  Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it. 28  And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30  Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31  But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. 

1Co 12:27  Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28  And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 1Co 12:30  Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31  But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. 

1Co 14:39  So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40  But all things should be done decently and in order. 40  But all things should be done decently and in order. 

I write that I see a similarity between ‘decently and in order,’ with line upon line, precept upon precept, in the same paragraph with “stammering or strange lips” and “foreign tongue.” Isaiah 28:11-13.

I think Paul did also when writing.  Note his remark in 1Corinthians 14:21,  “In the Law it is written, 'By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.’  That is very, very similar!

I also see similarity in the following: Isaiah 32:1-5, “Isa 32:1  Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. 2  Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. 3  Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention. 4  The heart of the hasty will understand and know, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly. 5  The fool will no more be called noble, nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.” 

Please note “a king will reign in righteousness,” which will be Christ on the throne. I believe He is ‘the perfect’ who will come. See 1 Corinthians 13: 8-10, “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10  but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 

So when Jesus returns, we will ‘no longer see through a glass darkly,’ and all will be made clear. There will be no need for prophecies or words of knowledge from the Lord. For the Saints will be with Him.

Please read my thoughts on this carefully and prayerfully, and if you choose to disagree, I will be okay with that.

 

ISAIAH’S PROPHECY OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

 There is much more wisdom in Isaiah to study, but I will close with these verses: Isa 53:1 

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2  For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10  Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. 

 

I think any born-again Christian knows that Isaiah 53:1-12 was clearly fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, our Lord and Savior.

Even though it is not in Isaiah, another direct prophecy of the crucifixion of Jesus is in Psalm 18: the entire chapter.

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 The Child

         Isaiah 9:1-7, “Isa 9:1  But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

         This is a much-quoted prophecy, but people miss a couple of things. Verse 1 refers to Zebulan and Naphtali, which were the former location of northern Israel. The land suffered much spiritual darkness. But when Jesus came, He ministered to the area. He went to Capernaum and Samaria. Jesus was opening His ministry to non-Jews.

        Antioch (now Antakya) was in the southern part of what is now Turkey. The Church in Antioch (after the first Church in Jerusalem) was the first to come up on its own. It was founded by Jews who were converted on the day of Pentecost and became a strong church without Apostolic involvement. It was where the followers of ‘Yeshua’ were first called Christians. The church in Antioch launched Paul’s three missionary journeys and gave support (both spiritual and monetary) to him and others who were called by the Lord to spread the gospel. Peter and the other apostles went to Antioch to aid and succor them spiritually and learn about their success. Many apostles used Antioch as a stopping off point as they traveled afar, spreading the gospel just as Paul did. All of this activity was a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:2.

        Isaiah 9:6 is a much-quoted verse giving the names of Jesus. Please note the name “Everlasting Father.” Jesus bore the name “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father,” for He and the Father were one. Please note John 14:9: “Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

        Much of Isaiah 9 was fulfilled with Jesus' first coming, and much is yet to be fulfilled.

 

CHAPTER FIV

 LUCIFER WHO??? 

     The word "Lucifer" appears only once in the Bible, Isaiah 14:12. Lucifer is actually the Latin name for the planet Venus.    Its derivation from Latin sources is literally "light-bearer."    Some translations drop "Lucifer" in lieu of "morning-star."    Who was this "Lucifer?" Well, we know he had and lost a lot.   

He existed in the garden of Eden, possibly before Adam and Eve [Ezekiel 28:13 - "You were in Eden, garden of God; every precious stone adorned you........…].

We know he was a created being referred to in Ezekiel 28:13 as the King of Tyre; he was anointed as a guardian cherub, Ezekiel 28:12,15, and was ordained so by God.  He was perfect; "a model of perfection; full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." What was a cherub?    Cherubs are first mentioned in the construction of the "mercy seat" of the ark (Exodus 26:19, Exodus 25:20).   The "mercy seat" was the seat of God (Yahweh) when He descended into the "Holy of Holies" of the Temple.    We are also told in Hebrews 9:5 about the Cheribum, and in Hebrews 9:24 that the ark was a copy of the actual "mercy seat" in Heaven.   Therefore, it is logical to assume that the SERAPHS or SERAPHIM we see in Isaiah 6:2 are the same winged creatures called Cherubs.    Their description    matches the Cherubs in Ezekiel 10:14 (also see Psalm 80:1, 99:1, Isaiah 37:16, 1 Sam 4:4, Ezekiel 41:18 - 19).   

This leads us to the apparent knowledge that originally God created three Cherubs, and one was named Lucifer.    This is supposition, but I am led to consider the possibility that Gabriel and Michael were the other two Cherubs.    Gabriel and Michael were never called Cherubs, but they were called Archangels.    It may be very possible that three generals, or rulers over the angels. To support this, look at Revelation 12:3 and 7 - 9, where it says the dragon (Satan, the devil) warred with Michael, and his angels, and lost their place in heaven.    Verse 3 leads us to believe that Satan ruled a third of the angels, which would confirm this supposition. Also refer to Luke 10:18, where Jesus referred to the fall of Lucifer. His disciples were amazed that the demons (fallen angels) submitted to them in the name of Jesus.      The Lord referred to Lucifer’s fall when He said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."        Yes, Isaiah teaches us about Lucifer, and the study of Isaiah leads us to know about the history and origin of Lucifer, who became the "Prince of this world (John 12:31), and Ruler of darkness (Ephesians 6:12)."

I think the reference to the King of Tyre means that Satan had control of the people of that Gentile area. Jesus did make a short foray in the area, and churches were set up in that area during the first century. However, presently, the whole area is Muslim, meaning that Satan’s control of the area is powerful. Daniel referred to this in chapter 10 and verse 13 about the Archangel Michael coming to his aid to battle the ‘Prince of Persia.’