Isaiah 26
ISAIAH's REVELATION Continued:
1 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city. Its walls and fortifications provide safety.
2 Open the gates, and let the righteous nation come in, the nation that remains faithful.
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!
4 Trust the LORD(Jesus) always, because Yah(LORD(Jesus)), the LORD(Jesus) alone, is an everlasting rock.
The Hebrew word Yah is the root of Yahweh, still rendered LORD
Hebrew, Jah, Jehovah. The union of the two names expresses in the highest degree God's unchanging love and power (compare Psalms 68:4 ). This passage, and Isaiah 12:2 , Exodus 6:3 , Psalms 83:18 , are the four in which the English Version retains the JEHOVAH of the original. MAURER translates, "For JAH (the eternal unchangeable One, Exodus 3:14 ) is JEHOVAH, the rock of ages" (compare Isaiah 45:17 , Deuteronomy 32:15 , 1 Samuel 2:2 ).
5 He humbles those who live high in the towering city. He levels it. He levels it to the ground and throws it into the dust.
6 The poor and oppressed trample it under their feet.
7 The way of the just is righteousness: the path is not steep and rough. You are our justice, and you smooth out the road ahead of us.
8 LORD(Jesus), we love to obey your laws; our heart's desire is to glorify your name.
9 All night long I search for You; earnestly I seek You. For only when You come to judge the earth will people turn from wickedness and do what is right.
10 Although the wicked are shown pity, they do not learn to do what is right. They do what is wrong in the upright land and do not see the majesty of the LORD(Jesus).
11 LORD(Jesus), they do not listen when you threaten. They do not see your upraised fist. Show them your eagerness to defend your people. Perhaps then they will be ashamed. Let your fire consume your enemies.
12 LORD(Jesus), you will grant us peace, for all we have accomplished is really from you.
13 O LORD(Jesus), our God(Elohim/Theos), you are not the only lord[master] to rule us, but we acknowledge only you.
14 The wicked are dead. They are no longer alive. The spirits of the dead won't rise. You have punished them, destroyed them, and wiped out all memory of them.
15 You have expanded the nation, O LORD(Jesus). You have expanded the nation. You are honored. You have extended all the land's boundaries.
16 O LORD(Jesus), in trouble have they visited You. They were humbled by oppression, by Your discipline upon them.
17 We were like a woman about to give birth, writhing and crying out in pain. When we are in your presence,O LORD(Jesus).
18 We were pregnant; we writhed with labor pains only to give birth to the wind. We weren't able to bring salvation to the land, and no new people were born on earth.
19 Your dead will live. Their corpses will rise. Those who lie dead in the dust will wake up and shout for joy, because your dew is a refreshing dew, and the earth will revive the spirits of the dead.
Your dead will live. Their corpses will rise = THE RESURRECTION!
However, as Jesus is the antitype to Israel ( Matthew 2:15 ), English Version gives a true sense, and one ultimately contemplated in the prophecy: Christ's dead body being raised again is the source of Jehovah's people (all, and especially believers, the spiritual Israelites) also being raised ( 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 ).
20 Come , my people, enter your rooms, and shut the doors behind you. Hide for a little while until his fury has ended.
As Revelation states, the church will be protected during this Tribulation.
When God is about to take vengeance on the ungodly, the saints shall be shut in by Him in a place of safety, as Noah and his family were in the days of the flood ( Genesis 7:16 ), and as Israel was commanded not to go out of doors on the night of the slaying of the Egyptian first-born ( Exodus 12:22 Exodus 12:23 , Psalms 31:20 , 83:3 ). The saints are calmly and confidently to await the issue ( Exodus 14:13 Exodus 14:14 ). (JAMIESON)
21 For, behold, LORD(Jesus) is going to come out from his dwelling place to punish those who live on earth for their sins. The earth will uncover the blood shed on it and will no longer cover up its dead bodies.
The reign of Christ! All the innocent blood shed, and all other wrongs done, so long seemingly with impunity, shall then be avenged ( Revelation 16:6 ).
The Prophets:
Isaiah 27
Isaiah's Revelation continued:
1 In that day the LORD(Jesus) will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent, the dragon of the sea.
leviathan--literally, in Arabic, "the twisted animal," applicable to every great tenant of the waters, sea-serpents, crocodiles, &c. In Ezekiel 29:3 , 32:2 , Daniel 7:1 , &c. Revelation 12:3 , &c., potentates hostile to Israel are similarly described; antitypically and ultimately Satan is intended ( Revelation 20:10 ).
2 In that day we will sing of the pleasant vineyard.
In that day-- The Reign of God on Earth--- when leviathan shall be destroyed, the vineyard ( Psalms 80:8 ), the Church of God, purged of its blemishes, shall be lovely in God's eyes; to bring out this sense the better, LOWTH, by changing a Hebrew letter, reads "pleasant," "lovely," for "red wine."
3 I, the LORD(Jesus), will watch over it. I water it continually. I watch over it day and night so that no one will harm it.
4 My anger against you will be gone. If only thorns and briars would confront me! I would fight them in battle and set all of them on fire.
5 These enemies will be spared only if they surrender and beg for peace and protection.
Jesus is God's "strength," or "refuge" which sinners must repair to and take hold of, if they are to have "peace" with God ( Isaiah 45:24 , Romans 5:1 , Ephesians 2:14 ; compare Job 22:21 ).
(Jamieson)
6 The time is coming when His people will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with her fruit!
7 Has the LORD(Jesus) punished Israel in the same way he has punished her enemies? No, for he devastated her enemies,
8 but He has punished {Israel} only a little. HE has exiled her from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east.
9 In this way the wrongdoings of the descendants of Jacob are covered up. This is the way they will turn from their sins-- when they turn all the altar stones into powdered chalk and no poles dedicated to the goddess Easter or incense altars are left standing.
Easter really is the modern version of Ishtar
10 The fortified city is isolated. The homestead is left deserted, abandoned like the desert. Calves will graze there. They will lie down. They will feed on the branches.
11 When the branches are dried up, they will be broken off. Women will come and build a fire with them. These people don't understand [these things]. That is why their maker won't have compassion on them, and their Creator won't have pity on them.
12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD(Jesus) will begin his threshing from the flowing stream of the {Euphrates} River to the brook of Egypt. People of Israel, you will be gathered one by one.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, a ram's horn[shofar] will be blown loudly. Those who are dying in Assyria and those who are banished to Egypt will come and worship the LORD(Jesus) on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Image from the trumpets blown on the first day of the seventh month to summon the people to a holy convocation ( Leviticus 23:24 ). Antitypically, the gospel trumpet ( Revelation 11:15 , 14:6 ) which the Jews shall hearken to in the last days ( Zechariah 12:10 , 13:1 ). As the passover in the first month answers to Christ's crucifixion, so the day of atonement and the idea of "salvation connected with the feast of tabernacles in the same seventh month, answer to the crowning of "redemption" at His second coming; therefore redemption is put last in 1 Corinthians 1:30 . (Jamieson)
Assyria—where the ten tribes had been carried; Babylonia is mainly meant, to which Assyria at that time belonged; the two tribes were restored, and some of the ten accompanied them. However, "Assyria" is designedly used to point ultimately to the future restoration of the ten fully, never yet accomplished ( Jeremiah 3:18 ). Assyria is GERMANY!!!!
Isaiah 28
WOE TO THE USA:
1 Woe will it be for the arrogant drunks of Ephraim. Their glorious beauty is [like] a withered flower. They are at the entrance to a fertile valley where they lie drunk from wine.
Ephraim = USA
2 Behold, the LORD(Jesus) has one who is strong and powerful. He is like a hailstorm, a destructive wind. He is like a thunderstorm, an overwhelming flood. He will throw them to the ground forcefully.
3 The arrogant drunks of Ephraim will be trampled underfoot.
4 And the glorious beauty is [like] a withered flower. They are at the entrance to a fertile valley. They will be like figs that ripened early. As soon as someone sees them, they will be taken and eaten.
5 In that day shall the LORD(Jesus) of hosts(angels of heaven) will be like a glorious crown for his few remaining people.
6 He will give a spirit of justice to those who judge. He will give strength to those who defend the city gates in battle.
7 Priests and prophets stagger from wine and wobble from too much liquor. They stagger from too much liquor and become confused from too much wine. They wobble because of their liquor. They stagger when they see visions. They swerve as they judge.
8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no clean place{left}.
9 To whom will they make the message understood? To whom will they explain this message? To children just weaned from milk? To those just taken from their {mother's} breasts?
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stuttering lips and in another language will He speak to this people.
He will speak to His people in another language and that language is ENGLISH!
12 He will say to them, This is a place for comfort. This is a place of rest for those who are tired. This is a place for them to rest. But they weren't willing to listen.
13 But the word of the LORD(Jesus) went to them: precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; so that they might go , and fall backward, and be broken , and snared , and taken .
Line upon Line- so those fall backwards! We are not to read a little here and a little there-- if we do, we will err and fall into darkness (backward like those that areested Jesus). This was the Armstrong's teachings, which are in error!
14 So therefore, hear the word of the LORD(Jesus), you foolish talkers who rule the people in Jerusalem.
15 Because you have said, "We made a treaty with death and an agreement with the grave. When the overwhelming disaster passes by, it won't matter to us, because we have taken refuge in our lies, and falsehood is our hiding place."
16 This is what the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) says: I am going to lay a stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested, a precious cornerstone, a solid foundation. Whoever believes {in him} will not worry.
This is Christ ( 1 Peter 1:11 1 Peter 1:12 ) compare Genesis 49:24 , Psalms 118:22 , Matthew 21:42 , Romans 10:11 , Ephesians 2:20 . Matthew 7:24 Matthew 7:25 , 2 Timothy 2:19
17 I will make justice a measuring line and righteousness a plumb line. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and floodwaters will wash away your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be wiped away. Your agreement with the grave(sheol) will not stand. When the overwhelming disaster passes by, you will be trampled by it.
19 Each time it passes by it will take you. It will pass by morning after morning, during the day and during the night. Understanding this message brings only terror.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on. The blanket is too narrow to serve as a cover.
21 The LORD(Jesus) will rise as he did on Mount Perazim. He will wake up as he did in Gibeon Valley. He will do his work, his unexpected work, and perform his deeds, his mysterious deeds.
22 So scoff no more, or your punishment will be even greater. For the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of angels(hosts), has plainly told me that he is determined to the whole world!
The entire world will be in Tribulation!
23 Open your ears, and listen to me! Pay attention, and listen to me!
24 Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting it?
25 Does he not finally plant his seeds for dill, cumin, wheat, barley, and spelt, each in its own section of his land?
26 For his God(Elohim/Theos) will guide him in judgment, and will teach him.
27He doesn't thresh all his crops the same way. A heavy sledge is never used on dill; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten softly with a flail.
28 Bread grain is easily crushed, so he doesn't keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn't pulverize it.
29 All of this has come from the LORD(Jesus) of angels, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in practice.
The twenty-eighth through thirty-third chapters form almost one continuous prophecy concerning the destruction of Ephraim(USA), the impiety and folly of Judah(modern Jews), the danger of their league with Egypt, the straits they would be reduced to by Assyria(Germany), from which Yahweh would deliver them on their turning to Him; the twenty-eighth chapter refers to the time just before the sixth year of Hezekiak's reign, the rest not very long before his fourteenth year.
*11 For with stuttering lips and in another language will He speak to this people..The English Bible has been the salvation of us all! The fascinating story of how we got the Bible in its present form actually starts thousands of years ago. The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe, (also spelled “Wycliff” & “Wyclif”), was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!
William Tyndale was a theologian and scholar who translated the Bible into an early form of Modern English. He was the first person to take advantage of Gutenberg’s movable-type press for the purpose of printing the scriptures in the English language. Besides translating the Bible, Tyndale also held and published views which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later by the Church of England which was established by Henry VIII. His Bible translation also included notes and commentary promoting these views. Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities, and Tyndale himself was burned at the stake in 1536. A clergyman hopelessly entrenched in Roman Catholic dogma once taunted Tyndale with the statement, “We are better to be without God’s laws than the Pope’s”. Tyndale was infuriated by such Roman Catholic heresies, and he replied, “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!”
Tyndale set out to translate the Scriptures into the commonly spoken English of the day. Unable to do so in England, he set out for the continent (about May, 1524), and appears to have visited Hamburg and Wittenberg. The place where he translated the New Testament, is thought to have been Wittenberg, under the aid of .Martin Luther The printing of this English New Testament in quarto was begun at Cologne in the summer of 1525, and completed at Worms, and that there was likewise printed an octavo edition, both before the end of that year. William Tyndale’s Biblical translations appeared in the following order: New Testament, 1525-26; Pentateuch, 1530; Jonah, 1531.
His literary activity during that interval was extraordinary. When he left England, his knowledge of Hebrew, if he had any, was of the most rudimentary nature; and yet he mastered that difficult tongue so as to produce from the original an admirable translation of the entire Pentateuch, the Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First Chronicles, contained in Matthew's Bible of 1537, and of the Book of Jonah, so excellent, indeed, that his work is not only the basis of those portions of the Authorized King James Version of 1611, but constitutes nine-tenths of that translation, and very largely that of the English Revised Version of 1885.
In addition to these he produced the following works. His first original composition, A Pathway into the Holy Scripture, is really a reprint, slightly altered, of his Prologue to the quarto edition of his New Testament, and had appeared in separate form before 1532; The Parable of the Wicked Mammon (1527); and The Obedience of a Christian Man (1527-28). These several works drew out in 1529 Sir Thomas More's Dialogue, etc. In 1530 appeared Tyndale's Practyse of Prelates, and in 1531 his Answer to the Dialogue, his Exposition of the First Epistle of St. John, and the famous Prologue to Jonah; in 1532, An Exposition upon the V. VI. VII. Chapters of Matthew; and in 1536, A Brief Declaration of the Sacraments, etc., which seems to be a posthumous publication. Joshua-Second Chronicles also was published after his death.
All these works were written during those mysterious years, in places of concealment so secure and well chosen, that neither the ecclesiastical nor diplomatic emissaries of Wolsey and Henry VIII., charged to track, hunt down, and seize the fugitive, were able to reach them, and they are even yet unknown. Under the idea that the progress of the Reformation in England rendered it safe for him to leave his concealment, he settled at Antwerp in 1534, and combined the work of an evangelist with that of a translator of the Bible.
Tyndale was betrayed by a friend, Philips, the agent either of Henry or of English ecclesiastics, or possibly of both. Tyndale was arrested and imprisoned in the castle of Vilvoorden for over 500 days of horrible conditions. He was tried for heresy and treason in a ridiculously unfair trial, and convicted. Tyndale was then strangled and burnt at the stake in the prison yard, Oct. 6, 1536. His last words were, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." This prayer was answered three years later, in the publication of King Henry VIII’s 1539 English “Great Bible”.
Tyndale's place in history has not yet been sufficiently recognized as a translator of the Scriptures, as an apostle of liberty, and as a chief promoter of the Reformation in England. In all these respects his influence has been singularly under-valued. The sweeping statement found in almost all histories, that Tyndale translated from the Vulgate and Luther, is most damaging to the reputation of the writers who make it; for, as a matter of fact, it is contrary to truth, since his translations are made directly from the originals, with the aid of the Erasmus 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament, and the best available Hebrew texts. The Prolegomena in Mombert's William Tyndale's Five Books of Moses show conclusively that Tyndale's Pentateuch is a translation of the Hebrew original.
We must always remember the sacrifice that many men and women paid to bring us the most read Bibles of all time, brining the message of God to the masses throughout the entire world!
Isaiah 29
COMING INVASION OF JERUSALEM: ITS FAILURE - UNBELIEF OF THE JEWS:
1 Woe to Ariel(Jerusalem), the City of David. Year after year you offer your many sacrifices.
Ariel--Jerusalem; Ariel means "Lion of God," that is, city rendered by God invincible: the lion is emblem of a mighty hero
2 I will torment Ariel, and the city will be filled with people grieving and mourning. The city will become like Ariel.
3 I will set up war camps all around you. I will blockade you with towers. I will put up mounds of dirt around you.
4 When you have fallen, you will speak as you lie on the ground. Your words will be muffled by the dust. Your voice will come out of the ground like that of a ghost. Your words will be whispered from the dust.
5 Your many enemies will be like fine dust. Your many foes will be like husks blown by the wind. All of this will happen suddenly, unexpectedly.
6 In an instant, I, the LORD(Jesus) of angels(hosts), will come against them with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire.
7 All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night.
8 A hungry person dreams of eating but is still hungry. A thirsty person dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when morning comes. In the same way, your enemies will dream of a victorious conquest over Jerusalem, but all to no avail.
9 Are you amazed and incredulous? Do you not believe it? Then go ahead and be blind if you must. You are drunk, but not from wine. You stagger, but not from liquor.
10 The LORD(Jesus) has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He will shut your eyes. (Your eyes are the prophets.) He will cover your heads. (Your heads are the seers. )
Quoted by Paul, with variations from the Septuagint, Romans 11:8 .
11 All these future events are a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, "We can't read it because it is sealed."
sealed--( Isaiah 8:16 ), God seals up the truth so that even the learned, because they lack believing docility, cannot discern it ( Matthew 13:10-17 , 11:25 ). Prophecy remained comparatively a sealed volume ( Daniel 12:4 Daniel 12:9 ), until Jesus, who "alone is worthy," "opened the seals" ( Revelation 5:1-5 Revelation 5:9 , 6:1 ). (Jamieson)
12 Then you give the book to someone who can't read, saying, "Please read this." He answers, "I can't read."
13 So the LORD(Jesus) says: For these people worship me with their mouths and honor me with their lips. But their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is commandments made by men.
COMMANDMENTS OF MEN-- NOT God! Christ's quotes this verse from the Septuagint Version.
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people once again. The wisdom of their wise people will disappear. The intelligence of their intelligent people will be hidden. 1 Corinthians 1:19
15 Woe to them who try to hide their plans from the LORD(Jesus). Their deeds are done in the dark, and they say, "No one can see us" and "No one can recognize us."
16 How stupid can you be? Is the potter no better than his clay? Can something that has been made say about its maker, "He didn't make me"? Can a piece of pottery say about the potter, "The potter who made me is stupid?”
17 Soon – and it will not be very long – the wilderness of Lebanon will be a fertile field once again. And the fertile fields will become a lush and fertile forest.
18 In that day deaf people will hear words read from a book, and blind people will see through the gloom and darkness. Matthew 11:5
19 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the LORD(Jesus). Those who are poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 Those who intimidate and harass will be gone. Mockers will be finished. All who look for ways to do wrong will come to an end:
21 Those who make the innocent guilty by their false testimony will disappear. And those who use trickery to pervert justice and tell lies to tear down the innocent will be no more.
22 Therefore this is what the LORD(Jesus), who saved Abraham, says about the descendants of Jacob: Jacob{or My people”} will no longer be ashamed. Jacob's face will no longer turn pale.
23 For when they see their many children and material blessings, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. They will stand in awe of the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel.
24 Those in error will then believe the truth, and those who constantly complain will accept instruction.
In that day: After the “Last Great Day” ALL WILL HAVE A SECOND CHANCE!
Isaiah 30
1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD(Jesus), that take counsel, but not of me. You weave a web of plans that are not from my Spirit, thus piling up your sin
2 They go to Egypt without asking me. They look for shelter under Pharaoh's protection and look for refuge in Egypt's shadow.
3 But Pharaoh's protection will be their shame, and the refuge in Egypt's shadow will be their disgrace.
4 For though his power extends to Zoan and Hanes,
5 it will all turn out to your shame. He will not help you even one little bit.
6 This is the divine revelation about the animals in the Negev. My people travel through lands where they experience distress and hardship. Lions and lionesses live there. Vipers and poisonous snakes live there. They carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels to a nation that can't help them.
7 Egypt's promises are worthless! I call her the Harmless Dragon.
8 Now go, write this on a tablet these words, and inscribe it in a book so that it will be there in the future as a permanent witness.
9 For these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay any attention to the LORD(Jesus)'s Laws!
10 They tell the prophets, "Shut up! We don't want any more of your reports{about the future}." They say, "Don't tell us the truth. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.
11 Get out of our way! Stop blocking our path! Forget all this gloom. We have heard more than enough about your 'Holy One of Israel.' We are tired of listening to what he has to say.”
12 This is what the Holy One of Israel says: You have despised my warning, and trusted oppression and deceit{instead}.
13 Therefore this lawlessness shall come upon you suddenly. It will be like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down.
14 You will be smashed like a piece of pottery – shattered so completely that there won't be a piece left that is big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.
15 For the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos), the Holy One of Israel says; In returning and rest you shall be saved ; In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.
16 You've said, "No, we'll flee on horses." So you flee. You've added, "We'll ride on fast horses." So those who chase you will also be fast.
17 One thousand people will flee when one person threatens them, and you will flee when five threaten you. Then you will be left alone like a flagpole on top of a mountain, like a signpost on a hill.
18 The LORD(Jesus) is waiting to be kind to you. He rises to have compassion on you. The LORD(Jesus) is a God(Elohim/Theos) of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: You won't cry anymore. The LORD(Jesus) will certainly have pity on you when you cry for help. As soon as he hears you, he will answer you.
20 And though the LORD(Jesus) may give you troubles and hardships. But your teacher will no longer be hidden from you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
21 You will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way. Follow it, whether it turns to the right or to the left."
22 Then you will dishonor your silver-plated idols and your gold-covered statues. You will throw them away like clothing ruined by stains. You will say to them, "Get out!"
23 Then He will give the rain for the seed that you plant in the ground, and the food that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. When that day comes, your cattle will graze in large pastures.
24 The oxen and the donkeys which till the ground will eat a mixture of food that has been winnowed with forks and shovels.
25 In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill.
26 Then the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun. The light of the sun will be seven times as strong, like the light of seven days. When that day comes, the LORD(Jesus) will bandage his people's injuries and heal the wounds he inflicted.
Image from the heavenly bodies to express the increase of spiritual light and felicity. "Sevenfold" implies the perfection of that felicity, seven being the sacred number. It shall also be literally fulfilled hereafter in the heavenly city ( Isaiah 60:19 Isaiah 60:20 , Revelation 21:23 Revelation 21:24 , 22:5 ).
breach--the wound, or calamity, sent by God(Elohim/Theos) on account of their sins ( Isaiah 1:5 ).(JAMIESON)
breach--the wound, or calamity, sent by God(Elohim/Theos) on account of their sins ( Isaiah 1:5 ).(JAMIESON)
27 The name of the LORD(Jesus) is going to come from far away. His anger is burning. His burden is heavy. His lips are filled with fury. His tongue is like a devouring flame.
name of . . . LORD(Jesus)--that is, Yahweh Himself ( Psalms 44:5 , 54:1 ); represented as a storm approaching and ready to burst over the Assyrians ( Isaiah 30:30 Isaiah 30:31 ).
28 His breath is like an overflowing stream. It rises neck high, sifting the nations with a sieve of destruction, placing a bit in the mouths of the people to lead them astray.
29 You will sing a song like the song you sing on a festival night. Your hearts will be happy like someone going out with a flute on the way to the mountain of the LORD(Jesus), to the mighty One of Israel.
a festival night-As in the passover night ye celebrate your deliverance from Egypt, so shall ye celebrate your rescue from Assyrian bondage. Translate, "the solemnity" ( Exodus 12:42 ).
(Jamieson)
30 The LORD(Jesus) will make his majestic voice heard. He will come down with all his might, with furious anger, with fire storms, windstorms, rainstorms, and hailstones.
31 At the sound of the LORD(Jesus), the people of Assyria will be shattered. He will strike them with his rod.
The end of Germany
32 To the sound of tambourines and lyres, the LORD(Jesus) will pound on them. He will fight them in battle, swinging his fists.
33 Topheth – the place of burning – has long been ready for the Assyrian king; it has been piled high with wood. The breath of the LORD(Jesus), like fire from a volcano, will set it ablaze.
Tophet--literally, "A place of abomination"; the valley of the sons of Hinnom, southeast of Jerusalem, where Israel offered human sacrifices to Moloch by fire; hence a place of burning ( 2 Kings 23:10 , Jeremiah 7:31 ). Latterly Gehinnom or Gehenna, that is, valley of Hinnom, was the receptacle of the refuse of the city, to consume which fires were constantly burning. Hence it came to express hell, the place of torment. In the former sense it was a fit place to symbolize the funeral pyre of the Assyrian army (not that it actually perished there); the Hebrews did not burn, but buried their dead, but the heathen Assyrians are to be burnt as a mark of ignominy. In the latter sense Tophet is the receptacle "prepared for the devil (antitype to the king, Isaiah 14:12-15 ) and his angels," and unbelieving men ( Matthew 5:22 , 25:41 , Mark 9:43 Mark 9:44 ).
Isaiah 31
WOE TO US THAT GO TO EGYPT FOR HELP:
1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; who rely on horses, who depend on many chariots, who depend on very strong war horses. They don't look to the Holy One of Israel. They don't seek the LORD(Jesus).
A peace treaty with Egypt is a sign of end times. Like the Carter agreement in 1979.
HORSES: Symbols of vehicles.
2 He is wise and can bring about disaster. He doesn't take back his words. He rises against wicked people and against those who help troublemakers.
3 For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God(Elohim/Theos)! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the LORD(Jesus) clenches his fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those they are trying to help. Both will die together.
4 This is what the LORD(Jesus) said to me: When a lion, even a young one, kills a sheep, it pays no attention to the shepherd's shouts and noise. It just goes right on eating. So the LORD(Jesus) of Angels will come to fight for Mount Zion and its hill.
5 The LORD(Jesus) of Angels will defend Jerusalem like a hovering bird. He will defend it and rescue it. He will pass over it and protect it.
6 Therefore, my people, the children of Israel, return to the one whom you have so violently rebelled against.
7 For in that day every man will reject the silver and gold idols that your sinful hands have made.
8 Then Assyrians will be killed with swords not made by human hands. Swords not made by human hands will destroy them. They will flee from battle, and their young men will be made to do forced labor.
9 In terror they will run to their stronghold, and their officers will be frightened at [the sight of] the battle flag. The LORD(Jesus) declares this. His fire is in Zion and his furnace is in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 32
MESSIAH'S KINGDOM:
1 Behold, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him.
king--not Hezekiah, who was already on the throne, whereas a future time is contemplated. If he be meant at all, it can only be as a type of Messiah the King, to whom alone the language is fully applicable ( Hosea 3:5 , Zechariah 9:9 ; world kings, who have exercised their power against God, instead of for God, to the rightful King of kings ( Ezekiel 21:27 , Daniel 7:13 Daniel 7:14 ).
princes--subordinate; referring to all in authority under Christ in the coming kingdom on earth, for example, the apostles, &c. ( Luke 22:30 , 1 Corinthians 6:2 , 2 Timothy 2:12 , Revelation 2:26 Revelation 2:27 , 3:21 ).(Jamieson)
2 Then a man will be like a shelter from the wind and a hiding place from the rain. They will be like streams on parched ground and the shade of a large rock in a weary land.
a man--rather, the man Christ [LOWTH]; it is as "the Son of man" He is to reign, as it was as Son of man He suffered ( Matthew 26:64 , John 5:27 , 19:5 ). Not as MAURER explains, "every one of the princes shall be," (Jamieson)
3 Then the vision of those who can see won't be blurred, and the ears of those who can hear will pay attention.
4 Even the hotheads among them will be full of sense and understanding, and those who stutter will speak quickly and clearly.
5 The vile person shall be no more called generous, nor the miser said to be outstanding citizens.
6 The foolish person will speak foolishness, and their minds plan evil in order to do ungodly things. They speak falsely about the LORD(Jesus). They deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty. Psalms 14:1
7 The tricks of schemers are evil. They devise wicked plans in order to ruin poor people with lies, even when needy people plead for justice.
8 But good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do.
9 Get up, and listen to me, you women who live in ease. Hear what I say, you overconfident daughters.
9-20. Address to the women of Jerusalem who troubled themselves little about the political signs of the times, but lived a life of self-indulgence ( Isaiah 3:16-23 ); the failure of food through the devastations of the enemy is here foretold, being what was most likely to affect them as mothers of families, heretofore accustomed to every luxury. VITRINGA understands "women--daughters" as the cities and villages of Judea ( Ezekiel 16:1-63 ). See Amos 6:1 . (Jamieson)
10 In a short time – you careless ones will suddenly begin to care. For your fruit crop will fail, and the harvest will never take place.
11 Tremble, you women of ease; throw off your unconcern. Strip off your pretty clothes, and wear sackcloth in your grief.
12 Beat your breasts as you mourn for your bountiful fields, for the vines bearing grapes.
13 For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers. Your joyful homes and happy cities will be gone.
14 The palace and the city will be deserted, and busy towns will be empty. Herds of donkeys and goats will graze on the hills where the watchtowers are,
15 until at last the Spirit is poured down upon us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will become a lush and fertile forest.
This can only partially apply to the spiritual revival in Hezekiah's time; its full accomplishment belongs to the Christian dispensation, first at Pentecost ( Joel 2:28 , Acts 2:17 ), perfectly in coming times ( Psalms 104:30 , Ezekiel 36:26 , 39:29 , Zechariah 12:10 ), when the Spirit shall be poured on Israel, and through it on the Gentiles ( Micah 5:7 ). (Jamieson)
16 Then Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field.
17 And this righteousness will bring peace. Quietness and confidence will fill the land forever.
18 My people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe homes and quiet places of rest.
19 The forest will be flattened because of hail, and the city will be completely leveled.
Literally, "But it shall hail with coming down of the forest, and in lowness shall the city (Nineveh) be brought low; that is, humbled." The "hail" is Jehovah's wrathful visitation ( Isaiah 30:30 , Isaiah 28:2 Isaiah 28:17 ). The "forest" is the Assyrian host, dense as the trees of a forest ( Isaiah 10:18 Isaiah 10:19 Isaiah 10:33 Isaiah 10:34 , Zechariah 11:2 ). (Jamieson)
20 Blessed are those who plant upon(beside) every stream and those who let oxen and donkeys roam freely.
The Hebrew translation, "beside," ought rather to be translated, "upon" ( Ecclesiastes 11:1 ), where the meaning is, "Cast thy seed upon the waters when the river overflows its banks; the seed will sink into the mud and will spring up when the waters subside, and you will find it after many days in a rich harvest." Before sowing, they send oxen, &c., into the water to tread the ground for sowing. CASTALIO
Isaiah 33
1 Woe to you, you destroyer, although you haven't been destroyed. How horrible it will be for you, you traitor, although you haven't been betrayed. When you've finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you've finished being a traitor, you will be betrayed.
2 O LORD(Jesus), be gracious unto us. We wait with hope for you. Be our strength in the morning. Be our strength each day and our salvation in times of trouble.
3 The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you stand up, the nations flee!
4 Just as locusts strip the fields and vines, so Jerusalem will strip the fallen army {of Assyria}!
5 The LORD(Jesus) is exalted ; for he dwells on high: he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your time, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD(Jesus) is his treasure.
7 Heroes cry in the streets. The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
8 Highways are laid waste. Travelers stop traveling. You have broken the covenant. Witnesses are rejected. People are no longer respected.
9 The country grieves and wastes away. Lebanon is ashamed and is decaying. Sharon has become like a wilderness. Bashan and Carmel are shaken.
10 The LORD(Jesus) says: Now I arise. I will get up. I will be lifted up.
11 You will be pregnant with grass. You will give birth to straw. Your breath will be a fire which will burn you up.
12 People will be cremated, like thorns cut down and tossed in a fire.
13 Hear what I have done, you people who are far away! Acknowledge MY might, you people who are near!
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified. Trembling seizes the ungodly. Can any of us live through a fire that destroys? Can any of us live through a fire that burns forever?
-false professors of religion among the elect people ( Matthew 22:12 ).
15 The ones who can live here are those who are honest and fair, who reject making a profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong.
16These are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress of safety. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance.
17 Your eyes will see the king in all his beauty, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.
For Jerusalem is made the scene of the king's glory ( Isaiah 33:20 , &c.), and it could not be said to be "very far off," unless the far-off land be heaven, the Jerusalem above, which is to follow the earthly reign of Messiah at literal Jerusalem ( Isaiah 65:17-19 , Jeremiah 3:17 , Revelation 21:1 Revelation 21:2 Revelation 21:10 ).
18 Your mind will be thinking of past terrors. Where are the scribes? Where are the tax collectors? Where are those who counted the towers?
19 You will no longer see those savage people, those people with an unrecognizable language, with a foreign language that you can't understand.
20 Instead, you will see Zion as a place of worship and celebration. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure.
21 The LORD(Jesus) will be our mighty defender in a place surrounded by broad rivers and streams. Ships with oars won't travel on them. Stately ships won't sail on them.
22 The LORD(Jesus) is our judge. The LORD(Jesus) is our lawgiver. The LORD(Jesus) is our king. The LORD(Jesus) is our savior.
judge . . . lawgiver . . . king--perfect ideal of the theocracy, to be realized under Messiah alone; the judicial, legislative, and administrative functions as king to be exercised by Him in person ( Isaiah 11:4 , 32:1 , 4:12 ).
23 Your ropes hang loose, your mast isn't secure, and your sail isn't spread out. A large amount of loot will be distributed. Lame people will carry off your loot.
24 No one who lives will say, "I'm sick." The sins of its inhabitants will be forgiven.
Isaiah 34
ARMAGEDDON and the Judgement of EDOM:
The thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth chapters form one prophecy, the former part of which denounces God(Elohim/Theos)'s judgment against His people's enemies, of whom Edom is the representative; the second part, of the flourishing state of the Church consequent on those judgments. This forms the termination of the prophecies of the first part of Isaiah (the thirty-sixth through thirty-ninth chapters being historical) and is a kind of summary of what went before, setting forth the one main truth, Israel shall be delivered from all its foes, and happier times shall succeed under Messiah.
1 Come near, you nations, and listen (to me). Pay attention, you people. The earth, everyone in it, the world, and everything on it will listen.
2 For the LORD(Jesus) is enraged against the nations. His fury is against all their armies. He will completely destroy them, bringing about their slaughter.
3 Their dead bodies will be thrown out. A stench will rise from their corpses. Mountains will be red with their blood.
4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved. The heavens will be rolled up like a scroll. The stars will fall like leaves from a grapevine, like green figs from a fig tree.
scroll--Books were in those days sheets of parchment rolled together ( Revelation 6:14 ).
5 For my sword is bathed [with blood] in heaven, it will fall on Edom and on the people I've claimed for destruction.
6 The sword of the LORD(Jesus) is drenched with blood. It is covered with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of rams' kidneys. The LORD(Jesus) will receive a sacrifice in Bozrah, a huge slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, young bulls along with rams. Their land will be drenched with blood. Their dust will be covered with fat.
unicorns--Hebrew, reem: conveying the idea of loftiness, time the image in the term answers to a reality in nature; at another it symbolizes an abstraction. The rhinoceros was the original type. The Arab rim is two-horned: it was the oryx (the leucoryx, antelope, bold and pugnacious); but when accident or artifice deprived it of one horn, the notion of the unicorn arose. Here is meant the portion of the Edomites which was strong and warlike. (Jamieson)
8 For it is the day of the LORD(Jesus)'S vengeance, a year of revenge in defense of Zion.
9 And the streams will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire.
10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste ; none travel through it for ever and ever.
11 It will be haunted by the horned owl, the hawk, the screech owl, and the raven. For God(Elohim/Theos) will make it become a wasteland and devoid of life.
Tohu and bohu, as used in Genesis 1. Became FORMLESS AND VOID!
12 It will be called the Land of Nothing, and its princes soon will all be gone.
13 Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for ostriches.
14 The wild beasts of the desert (Hyenas) with the wild beasts of the island (jackals). Male goats will call to their mates. Screech owls will rest there and find a resting place for themselves.
15 There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs. She will hatch her young and cover them with her wings. And the vultures will come, each one with its mate.
16 Search the book of the LORD(Jesus), and read it. Not a single detail shall fail. Not one of these birds and animals will be missing, and none will lack a mate, for my mouth has promised this. His Spirit will make it all come true..
17 He has surveyed and divided the land and deeded it over to those creatures. They will possess it forever, from generation to generation.
Isaiah 35
1 The desert and the dry land will be glad, and the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
2 There will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and the plain of Sharon. There the LORD(Jesus) will display his glory, the splendor of our God(Elohim/Theos).
4 Tell those who are terrified, "Be strong; don't be afraid. Your God(Elohim/Theos) will come with vengeance, to destroy your enemies. He will come and rescue you."
6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, a roadway, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; He (the Holy One) shall be with them, walking in the way , although fools, won't wander [onto it]. ( Matthew 11:25 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 ).
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast won't go on it. They won't be found there. But the people reclaimed{By Christ} will walk [on it].
10 Those who have been ransomed by the LORD(Jesus) will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness.
Language: literally, applying to the return from Babylon; figuratively and more fully to the completed redemption of both literal and spiritual Israel.
Isaiah 36
This and the thirty-seventh through thirty-ninth chapters form the historical appendix closing the first division of Isaiah's prophecies, and were added to make the parts of these referring to Assyria more intelligible. So Jeremiah 52:1-34 ; compare 2 Kings 25:1-30 . The section occurs almost word for word in 2 Kings 18:13 2 Kings 18:17-20 , 2 Kings 18:14-16 , however, is additional matter. Hezekiah's "writing" also is in Isaiah, not in Kings ( Isaiah 38:9-20 ). We know from 2 Chronicles 32:32 that Isaiah wrote the acts of Hezekiah. It is, therefore, probable, that his record here (Isaiah 36:1-39:8') was incorporated into the Book of Kings by its compiler. Sennacherib lived, according to Assyrian inscriptions, more than twenty years after his invasion; but as Isaiah survived Hezekiah ( 2 Chronicles 32:32 ), who lived upwards of fifteen years after the invasion ( Isaiah 38:5 ), the record of Sennacherib's death ( Isaiah 37:38 ) is no objection to this section having come from Isaiah; 2 Chronicles 32:1-33 is probably an abstract drawn from Isaiah's account, as the chronicler himself implies ( 2 Chronicles 32:32 ). Pul was probably the last of the old dynasty, and Sargon, a powerful satrap, who contrived to possess himself of supreme power and found a new dynasty attempt was made by Judah to throw off the Assyrian yoke during his vigorous reign. The accession of his son Sennacherib was thought by Hezekiah the opportune time to refuse the long-paid tribute; Egypt and Ethiopia, to secure an ally against Assyria on their Asiatic frontier, promised help; Isaiah, while opposed to submission to Assyria, advised reliance on Jehovah, and not on Egypt, but his advice was disregarded, and so Sennacherib invaded Judea, 712 B.C. (Jamieson)
1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. He stood at the channel for the Upper Pool on the road to Laundryman's Field.
3 Then these are the officials who went out to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian.
4 He said to them, "Tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What makes you so confident?
5 Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Which of your allies will give you any military backing against Assyria?
6 Look! When you trust Egypt, you're trusting a broken stick for a staff. If you lean on it, it stabs your hand and goes through it. This is what Pharaoh, the king of Egypt is like for everyone who trusts him.
7 But if thou say to me, "We trust the LORD(Jesus) our God(Elohim/Theos)." But isn't he the one who was insulted by King Hezekiah? Didn't Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem?"'
8 "I'll tell you what! My master, the king of Assyria, will strike a bargain with you. If you can find two thousand horsemen in your entire army, he will give you two thousand horses for them to ride on!
9 How can you defeat my master's lowest-ranking officers when you trust Egypt for chariots and horses?
10 Have I come to destroy this country without the LORD(Jesus) on my side? The LORD(Jesus) said to me, 'Attack this country, and destroy it.'"
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the king's representative, "Please speak to us in Aramaic, for we understand it well. Don't speak in Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear."
12 But Rabshakeh(the field commander) said, "Did my master send me to tell these things only to you and your master? Didn't he send me to the men sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine with you?"
13 Then the field commander (Rabshakeh) stood and shouted loudly in the Judean language, "Listen to the great king, the king of Assyria.
14 This is what the king says: Don't let Hezekiah deceive you. He can't rescue you.
15 Don't let Hezekiah get you to trust the LORD(Jesus) by saying, 'The LORD(Jesus) will certainly rescue us, and this city will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria.'
16 Don't listen to Hezekiah, because this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me! Come out, and give yourselves up to me! Everyone will eat from his own grapevine and fig tree and drink from his own cistern.
17 Then I will come and take you away to a country like your own. It's a country with grain and new wine, a country with bread and vineyards.
18 Don't let Hezekiah mislead you by saying to you, 'The LORD(Jesus) will rescue us.' Did any of the gods(elohim/theos) of the nations rescue their countries from the king of Assyria?
19 Where are the gods(elohim/theos) of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods(elohim/theos) of Sepharvaim? Did they rescue Samaria from my control?
20 Did the gods(elohim/theos) of these countries rescue them from my control? Could the LORD(Jesus) then rescue Jerusalem from my control?"
21 They were silent and didn't say anything to him because the king commanded them not to answer him.
22 Then Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace and was son of Hilkiah, Shebna the scribe, and Joah, who was the royal historian and the son of Asaph, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief. They told him the message from the field commander.
Isaiah 37
CONTINUATION OF THE NARRATIVE IN THE THIRTY-SIXTH CHAPTER:
1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard{the message}, he tore his clothes in grief, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD(Jesus).
2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and the leaders of the priests, clothed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.
3 And they said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day filled with misery, punishment, and disgrace. We are like a woman who is about to give birth but doesn't have the strength to deliver it.
4 It may be that the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God(Elohim/Theos). The LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) may punish him because of the message that the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) heard. Pray for the few people who are left."
5 So King Hezekiah's men went to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said to them, "Thus shall you say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD(Jesus):"Say this to your master, 'This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: Don't be afraid of the message that you heard when the Assyrian king's assistants slandered me.
7 Listren! I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a report and return to his homeland; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." ' "
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah. He had heard that the king left Lachish.
9 Now, Sennacherib heard that King Tirhakah of Sudan was coming to fight him. When he heard this, he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 "Tell King Hezekiah of Judah, 'Don't let the God(Elohim/Theos) whom you trust deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria.
11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and will you be rescued?
12 Have the gods(elohim/theos) of other nations rescued those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? The former kings of Assyria destroyed them all!
13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?'"
14 Hezekiah received the letter and read it, he went up to the LORD(Jesus)'s Temple and spread it out before the LORD(Jesus).
15 Then Hezekiah prayed to the LORD(Jesus), saying:
16 "O LORD(Jesus) of hosts, God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God(Elohim/Theos), You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
cherubim--derived by transposition from either a Hebrew root, rachab, to "ride"; or rather, barach, to "bless." They were formed out of the same mass of pure gold as the mercy seat itself ( Exodus 25:19 , Margin). The phrase, "dwellest between the cherubim," arose from their position at each end of the mercy seat, while the Shekinah, and the awful name, JEHOVAH, in written letters, were in the intervening space. They are so inseparably associated with the manifestation of God(Elohim/Theos)'s glory, that whether the LORD(Jesus) is at rest or in motion, they always are mentioned with Him ( Numbers 7:89 , Psalms 18:10 ). (1) They are first mentioned ( Genesis 3:24 ) "on the edge of" (as "on the east" may be translated) Eden; the Hebrew for "placed" is properly to "place in a tabernacle," which implies that this was a local tabernacle in which the symbols of God(Elohim/Theos)'s presence were manifested suitably to the altered circumstances in which man, after the fall, came before God(Elohim/Theos). It was here that Cain and Abel, and the patriarchs down to the flood, presented their offerings: and it is called "the presence of the LORD(Jesus)" ( Genesis 4:16 ). When those symbols were removed at the close of that early patriarchal dispensation, small models of them were made for domestic use, called, in Chaldee, "seraphim" or "teraphim." (2) The cherubim, in the Mosaic tabernacle and Solomon's temple, were the same in form as those at the outskirts of Eden: compound figures, combining the distinguishing properties of several creatures: the ox, chief among the tame and useful animals; the lion among the wild ones; the eagle among birds; and man, the head of all (the original headship of man over the animal kingdom, about to be restored in Jesus Christ, Psalms 8:4-8 , is also implied in this combination). They are, throughout Scripture, represented as distinct from God(Elohim/Theos); they could not be likenesses of Him which He forbade in any shape. (3) They are introduced in the third or gospel dispensation ( Revelation 4:6 ) as "living creatures" (not so well translated "beasts" in English Version), not angels, but beings closely connected with the redeemed Church. So also in Ezekiel 1:5-25 , 10:1-22 . Thus, throughout the three dispensations, they seem to be symbols of those who in every age should officially study and proclaim the manifold wisdom of God(Elohim/Theos). (Jamieson)
17 Turn your ear toward me, O LORD(Jesus), and hear me. Open your eyes, O LORD(Jesus), and see. Listen to the entire message that Sennacherib sent to defy the living God(Elohim/Theos).
18 Truly, LORD(Jesus), the kings of Assyria have leveled every country.
19 They have thrown the gods(elohim/theos) from these countries into fires because these gods(elohim/theos) aren't real gods(elohim/theos). They're only wooden and stone statues made by human hands. So the Assyrians have destroyed them.
20 Now, O LORD(Jesus) our God(Elohim/Theos), rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You are the LORD(Jesus), You alone."
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, says: This is my answer to your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria.”
22 This is the message that the LORD(Jesus) speaks to him: My dear people in Zion despise you and laugh at you. My people in Jerusalem shake their heads behind your back.
23 Whom are you defying and blaspheming? Against whom are you raising your voice? Who are you looking at so arrogantly? It is the Holy One of Israel!
24 Through your servants you defy the LORD(Jesus) and say, "With my many chariots I'll ride up the high mountains, up the slopes of Lebanon. I'll cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypresses. I'll come to its most distant heights and its most fertile forests.
25 I'll dig wells and drink water. I'll dry up all the streams of Egypt with the trampling of my feet."
26 Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I make it happen so that you will turn fortified cities into piles of rubble.
27 That is why their people have little power and are such easy prey for you. They are as helpless as the grass, as easily trampled as tender green shoots. They are like grass sprouting on a housetop, easily scorched by the sun.
28 But I know you well – your comings and goings and all you do. I know the way you have raged against me.
29 And because of your arrogance against me, which I have heard for myself, I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your mouth. I will make you return by the road on which you came.
30 This will be a sign for you: {Hezekiah} You will eat what grows by itself this year, and the next year you will eat what comes up by itself. But in the third year you will plant and harvest, plant vineyards, and eat what is produced.
31 And you who are left in the house of Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will take root again in your own soil, and you will flourish and multiply.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD(Jesus) of hosts shall do this.
33 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says about the king of Assyria: His armies will not enter Jerusalem to shoot their arrows. They will not march outside its gates with their shields and build banks of earth against its walls.
34 He will go back the way he came, and he won't come into this city, declares the LORD(Jesus) of Armies.
35 "I will defend this city to defend it for my (names) sake and for the sake of my servant David."
36 Then the angel of the LORD(Jesus) went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians-- 185,000 [soldiers] . And when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses--all dead.
Some attribute the destruction to the agency of the plague narrated immediately after; but Isaiah 33:1 Isaiah 33:4 , proves that the Jews spoiled the corpses, which they would not have dared to do, had there been on them infection of a plague. The secondary agency seems, from Isaiah 29:6 , 30:30 , to have been a storm of hail, thunder, and lightning (compare Exodus 9:22-25 ). The simoon belongs rather to Africa and Arabia than Palestine, and ordinarily could not produce such a destructive effect. Some few of the army, as 2 Chronicles 32:21 seems to imply, survived and accompanied Sennacherib home. HERODOTUS (2.141) gives an account confirming Scripture in so far as the sudden discomfiture of the Assyrian army is concerned. The Egyptian priests told him that Sennacherib was forced to retreat from Pelusium owing to a multitude of field mice, sent by one of their gods, having gnawed the Assyrians' bow-strings and shield-straps. Compare the language ( Isaiah 37:33 ), "He shall not shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields," which the Egyptians corrupted into their version of the story. Sennacherib was as the time with a part of his army, not at Jerusalem, but on the Egyptian frontier, southwest of Palestine. The sudden destruction of the host near Jerusalem, a considerable part of his whole army, as well as the advance of the Ethiopian Tirhakah, induced him to retreat, which the Egyptians accounted for in a way honoring to their own gods. The mouse was the Egyptian emblem of destruction. The Greek Apollo was called Sminthian, from a Cretan word for "a mouse," as a tutelary God of agriculture, he was represented with one foot upon a mouse, since field mice hurt corn. The Assyrian inscriptions, of course, suppress their own defeat, but nowhere boast of having taken Jerusalem; and the only reason to be given for Sennacherib not having, amidst his many subsequent expeditions recorded in the monuments, returned to Judah, is the terrible calamity he had sustained there, which convinced him that Hezekiah was under the divine protection. RAWLINSON says, In Sennacherib's account of his wars with Hezekiah, inscribed with cuneiform characters in the hall of the palace of Koyunjik, built by him (a hundred forty feet long by a hundred twenty broad), wherein even the Jewish physiognomy of the captives is portrayed, there occurs a remarkable passage; after his mentioning his taking two hundred thousand captive Jews, he adds, "Then I prayed unto God"; the only instance of an inscription wherein the name of God occurs without a heathen adjunct. The forty-sixth Psalm probably commemorates Judah's deliverance. It occurred in one "night," according to 2 Kings 19:35 , with which Isaiah's words, "when they arose early in the morning," &c., are in undesigned coincidence.
(Jamieson)
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh.
Nimrod, its founder; his name means "exceedingly impious rebel"; he subverted the existing patriarchal order of society, by setting up a system of chieftainship, founded on conquest; the hunting field was his training school for war; he was of the race of Ham, and transgressed the limits marked by
God ( Genesis 10:8-11 Genesis 10:25 ), encroaching on Shem's portion; he abandoned Babel for a time, after the miraculous confusion of tongues and went and founded Nineveh; he was, after death, worshipped as Orion, the constellation (Jamieson)
38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his God(Elohim/Theos), that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him and escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him as king.
Nisroch--Nisr, in Semitic, means "eagle;" the termination och, means "great." The eagle-headed human figure in Assyrian sculptures is no doubt Nisroch, the same as Asshur, the chief Assyrian God; the corresponding goddess was Asheera, or Astarte[EASTER]; this means a "grove," or sacred tree, often found as the symbol of the heavenly hosts (Saba) in the sculptures, as Asshur the Eponymus hero of Assyria ( Genesis 10:11 ) answered to the sun or Baal, Belus, the title of office, "LORD(Jesus)." This explains "image of the grove" ( 2 Kings 21:7 ). The eagle was worshipper by the ancient Persians and Arabs.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 38
HEZEKIAH'S SICKNESS:
1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and near death. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came to him and said, This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: “Set your household in order, because you're about to die. You won't get well."
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD(Jesus),
3 and said, "Remember now, O LORD(Jesus), I pray, I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight." Then he broke down and wept bitterly.
This plea by Hezekiah so moved God, that God relented and gave him 15 more years to add to his life. Hezekiah was probably more in love with God than David, and he lived his entire reign trying to please God and do everything right. This moving story shows us that God does listen to our prayers, and God can change their plans! THROUGH PRAYER!
JOSEPHUS says, the reason why he wept so sorely was that being childless, he was leaving the kingdom without a successor. How often our wishes, when gratified, prove curses! Hezekiah lived to have a son; that son was the idolater Manasseh, the chief cause of God's wrath against Judah, and of the overthrow of the kingdom ( 2 Kings 23:26 2 Kings 23:27 ). (Jamieson)
4 Then the LORD(Jesus) spoke his word to Isaiah,
5 Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, 'This is what the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of your father[ancestor] David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life,
6 I'll rescue you and this city from the control of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city.'
7 {Isaiah speaking,} “And this is the sign to you from the LORD(Jesus), that the LORD(Jesus) will do this thing which He has spoken:
8 Behold, I will cause the sun's shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!'" So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.
HERODOTUS (2.109) states that the sundial and the division of the day into twelve hours, were invented by the Babylonians; from them Ahaz borrowed the invention. He was one, from his connection with Tiglath-pileser, likely to have done so ( 2 Kings 16:7 2 Kings 16:10 ). "Shadow of the degrees" means the shadow made on the degrees. JOSEPHUS thinks these degrees were steps ascending to the palace of Ahaz; the time of day was indicated by the number of steps reached by the shadow. But probably a sundial, strictly so called, is meant; it was of such a size, and so placed, that Hezekiah, when convalescent, could witness the miracle from his chamber. Compare Isaiah 38:21 Isaiah 38:22 with 2 Kings 20:9 , where translate, shall this shadow go forward, &c.; the dial was no doubt in sight, probably "in the middle court" ( 2 Kings 20:4 ), the point where Isaiah turned back to announce God's gracious answers to Hezekiah. Hence this particular sign was given. The retrogression of the shadow may have been effected by refraction; a cloud denser than the air interposing between the gnomon and dial would cause the phenomenon, which does not take from the miracle, for God gave him the choice whether the shadow should go forward or back, and regulated the time and place. BOSANQUET makes the fourteenth year of Hezekiah to be 689 B.C., the known year of a solar eclipse, to which he ascribes the recession of the shadow. At all events, there is no need for supposing any revolution of the relative positions of the sun and earth, but merely an effect produced on the shadow ( 2 Kings 20:9-11 ); that effect was only local, and designed for the satisfaction of Hezekiah, for the Babylonian astronomers and king "sent to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land" ( 2 Chronicles 32:31 ), implying that it had not extended to their country. No mention of any instrument for marking time occurs before this dial of Ahaz, 700 B.C. The first mention of the "hour" is made by Daniel at Babylon ( Daniel 3:6 ).
9 King Hezekiah of Judah wrote this after he was sick and became well again:
10 I thought that in the prime of my life I would go down to the gates of Sheol and be robbed of the rest of my life.
11 I said, "I shall not see Yah, The LORD(Jesus) in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My life was over, taken from me like a shepherd's tent. I have cut off my life like a weaver. You cut me off from the loom. You ended my life in one day.
13 I cried out until morning as if a lion had crushed all my bones. Suddenly, my life was over.
14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, O LORD(Jesus). Help me!"
15 But what could I say? For he himself had sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.
16 O LORD(Jesus), by these things men live; and I have the will to live in spite of them. You give me health and keep me alive.
17 Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish, for you have rescued me from death and have forgiven all my sins.
DEATH IN THE GRAVE HAS NO THOUGHT!
18 Sheol[the grave] doesn't thank you! Death doesn't praise you! Those who go down to destruction can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
Just another example that death means what it says. Not an existence in hell or heaven, but a state of total sleep in a grave.
Go down to destruction: The Final Death of Revelation For "hope" ceases (even in the case of the godly) when sight begins ( Romans 8:24 Romans 8:25 ); the ungodly have "no hope" ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ). Hope in God's truth is one of the grounds of praise to God ( Psalms 71:14 , 119:49 ). Others translate, "cannot celebrate."
19 The living, the living person, shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children.
20 Think of it – the LORD(Jesus) has healed me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple(house) of the LORD(Jesus).
21 Isaiah had said to Hezekiah's servants, "Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover."
22 And Hezekiah had said, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD(Jesus)?"
Isaiah 39
HEZEKIAH'S ERROR:
1 At that time Baladan's son, King Merodach Baladan of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah. He had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and had recovered.
Merodach--an idol, the same as the God(Elohim/Theos) of war and planet Mars ( Jeremiah 50:2 ).
Baladan--means "Bel is his LORD." The chronicle of EUSEBIUS contains a fragment of BEROSUS, stating that Acises, an Assyrian viceroy, usurped the supreme command at Babylon. Merodach- (or Berodach-) baladan murdered him and succeeded to the throne. Sennacherib conquered Merodach-baladan and left Esar-haddon, his son, as governor of Babylon. Merodach-baladan would naturally court the alliance of Hezekiah, who, like himself, had thrown off the yoke of the Assyrian king, and who would be equally glad of the Babylonian alliance against Assyria; hence arose the excessive attention which he paid to the usurper.
2 Hezekiah welcomed the envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses – the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them all his other treasures – everything! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did these men want? And where did they come from?" Hezekiah answered, "They came to me from the distant country of Babylon."
4 And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them."
6 The LORD(Jesus) says: Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left
days come--one hundred twenty years afterwards. This is the first intimation that the Jews would be carried to Babylon--the first designation of their place of punishment. The general prophecy of Moses ( Leviticus 26:33 , Deuteronomy 28:64 ); the more particular one of Ahijah in Jeroboam's time ( 1 Kings 14:15 ), "beyond the river"; and of Amos 5:27 , "captivity beyond Damascus"; are now concentrated in this specific one as to "Babylon" ( Micah 4:10 ). It was an exact retribution in kind, that as Babylon had been the instrument of Hezekiah and Judah's sin, so also it should be the instrument of their punishment.
7 And they will take away some of your sons[descendants] will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon's king.
The sons which Hezekiah (as JOSEPHUS tells us) on "wept sore") will be among the foremost in suffering. Eunuchs (CASTRATION)--fulfilled ( Daniel 1:2 Daniel 1:3 Daniel 1:7 ).
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The LORD(Jesus)'s word that you have spoken is good." He added, ""At least there be peace and security as long as I live."
Kind of self-serving! The punishment was not, as in David's case ( 2 Samuel 24:13-15 ), sent in his time.
Isaiah 40
JOHN THE BAPTIST FORETOLD:
1 "Comfort my people! Yes! Comfort them!" says your God(Elohim/Theos).
2 "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD(Jesus)'s hand Double for all her sins."
3 A voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD(Jesus); Make straight in the desert – A highway for our God(Elohim/Theos).
This is John The Baptist – Jesus even said so
the Septuagint and Matthew 3:3 connect the words. The Hebrew accents, however, connect them thus: "In the wilderness prepare ye," &c., and the parallelism also requires this, "Prepare ye in the wilderness," answering to "make straight in the desert." Matthew was entitled, as under inspiration, to vary the connection, so as to bring out another sense, included in the Holy Spirit's intention; in Matthew 3:1 , "John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness," answers thus to "The voice of one crying in the wilderness." MAURER takes the participle as put for the finite verb (so in Isaiah 40:6 ), "A voice crieth." The clause, "in the wilderness," alludes to Israel's passage through it from Egypt to Canaan ( Psalms 68:7 ), Jehovah being their leader; so it shall be at the coming restoration of Israel, of which the restoration from Babylon was but a type (not the full realization; for their way from it was not through the "wilderness"). Where John preached (namely, in the wilderness; the type of this earth, a moral wilderness), there were the hearers who are ordered to prepare the way of the LORD, and there was to be the coming of the LORD [BENGEL]. John, though he was immediately followed by the suffering Messiah, is rather the herald of the coming reigning Messiah, as Malachi 4:5 Malachi 4:6 ("before the great and dreadful day of the LORD"), proves. Matthew 17:11 (compare Acts 3:21 ) implies that John is not exclusively meant; and that though in one sense Elias has come, in another he is yet to come. John was the figurative Elias, coming "in the spirit and power of Elias" ( Luke 1:17 ); John 1:21 , where John the Baptist denies that he was the actual Elias, accords with this view Malachi 4:5 Malachi 4:6 cannot have received its exhaustive fulfilment in John; the Jews always understood it of the literal Elijah. As there is another consummating advent of Messiah Himself, so perhaps there is to be of his forerunner Elias, who also was present at the transfiguration.
the LORD(Jesus)--Hebrew, Jehovah; as this is applied to Jesus, He must be Jehovah ( Matthew 3:3 ).
the LORD(Jesus)--Hebrew, Jehovah; as this is applied to Jesus, He must be Jehovah ( Matthew 3:3 ).
(JAMIESON)
4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill will be lowered. Steep places will be made level. Rough places will be made smooth.
5 The glory of the LORD(Jesus) shall be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD(Jesus) has spoken!"
see it--The Septuagint for "it," has "the salvation of God." So Luke 3:6 (compare Luke 2:30 , that is, Messiah); but the Evangelist probably took these words from Isaiah 52:10 .
6 A voice said, "Cry out!" I asked, "What should I cry?""That people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field.
7 Grass dries up, and flowers wither because the breath of the LORD(Jesus) blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
Here the word spirit is rendered breath. Ruach means divine wind, breath or essence of The Yahweh.
8 Grass dries up, and flowers wither, but the word of our God(Elohim/Theos) stands forever."
9 O Zion, You who bring good news, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good news, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God(Elohim/Theos)!"
Good News = The Gospel Zion is Jerusalem and also The Church
10 Behold, the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) will come with strong [hand], and His reward is with him, and the people he has won arrive ahead of him.
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs to his bosom, and carry them in his arms. He leads {His} sheep and their lambs.
12 Who has measured the water of the sea with the palm of his hand or measured the sky with the length of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a bushel basket or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills on a balance?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD(Jesus) or who knows enough to be his teacher or counselor?
14 With whom did he consult? Who gave him understanding? Who taught him the right way? Who taught him knowledge? Who informed him about the way to understanding?
15 The nations are like a drop in a bucket and are considered to be like dust on a scale. The weight of the islands is like fine dust.
16 All the trees in Lebanon are not enough to burn an offering. Its wild animals are not enough for a single burnt offering.
17 All the nations amount to nothing in his presence. He considers them less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you liken God(Elohim/Theos)? or what likeness will you compare him?
Which of the heathen idols, then, is to be compared to this Almighty God? This passage, if not written (as BARNES thinks) so late as the idolatrous times of Manasseh, has at least a prospective warning reference to them and subsequent reigns; the result of the chastisement of Jewish idolatry in the Babylonish captivity was that thenceforth after the restoration the Jews never fell into it. Perhaps these prophecies here may have tended to that result (see 2 Kings 23:26 2 Kings 23:27 ).
19 {Can he be compared to}The workman molding an image, The goldsmith overlaying it with gold, And the silversmith casting silver chains?
20 The poorest people choose wood that will not rot and search out skillful craftsmen to set up idols that will not fall over.
21 Don't you know? Haven't you heard? Haven't you been told from the beginning? Don't you understand the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He makes leaders unimportant and makes earthly judges worth nothing.
24 They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and their work withers. The wind carries them off like straw.
25 "To whom, then, can you compare me to? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.
26Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? Who brings out the stars one by one? He calls them all by name. Because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD(Jesus), and my rights are ignored by my God(Elohim/Theos)"?
28 Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The eternal God(Elohim/Theos), the LORD(Jesus), the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't grow tired or become weary. His understanding is beyond reach.
29 He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak.
30 Even young people grow tired and become weary, and young men will stumble and fall.
31 But those who wait on the LORD(Jesus) will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 41
JESUS-The 1st and the Last GOD ALMIGHTY!
1 Be silent and listen to me, O coastlands. Let the people gain new strength. Let them come near and speak. Let us come together for judgment.
Coastlands – USA and Great Britain
2 Who has raised up from the One from the east whom the LORD(Jesus) gives victory with every step he takes? Nations are handed over to him. He defeats kings. With his sword he turns them into dust. With his bow he turns them into straw blown by the wind.
The Septuagint takes the Hebrew as a noun "righteousness." MAURER translates, "Who raised up him whom salvation (national and temporal, the gift of God's 'righteousness' to the good, Isaiah 32:17 ; compare Isaiah 45:8 , 51:5 ) meets at his foot" (that is, wherever he goes). Righteousness was always raised up from the East. Paradise was east of Eden. The cherubim were at the east of the garden. Abraham was called from the East. Judea, the birthplace of Messiah, was in the East.
3 He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground
4 Who has accomplished this? Who has determined the course of history from the beginning? I, the LORD(Jesus), was there first(alpha), and I will be the last(omega). I Am alone the one!
The Alpha Omega-1st and last= JESUS! Revelation 1:8
5 The coastlands have seen him and are afraid. The ends of the earth tremble. They have come near and gathered together.
6 People help their neighbors and say to their relatives, "Be brave!"
7 The craftsmen rush to make new idols. The carver hurries the goldsmith, and the molder helps at the anvil. "Good," they say. "It's coming along fine." Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won't fall over.
ABRAHAM; God's FRIEND!
8 But you are my servant Israel, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendant of Abraham, My friend!
This is what we want more than anything in this world-- to become God's friend!
9 I have taken you from the ends of the earth and called you from its most distant places. I said to you, 'You are my servant. I've chosen you; I haven't rejected you.'
10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God(Elohim/Theos). I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
11 Behold! Everyone who is angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who oppose you will be reduced to nothing and disappear.
12 You will search for your enemies, but you will not find them. Those who are at war with you will be reduced to nothing and no longer exist.
13 For I, the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos), will hold your right hand and say to you, 'Don't be afraid; I will help you.'
14 Fear not Jacob, you worm! You men of Israel! I will help you," says the LORD(Jesus) And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
worm--in a state of contempt and affliction, whom all loathe and tread on, the very expression which Messiah, on the cross, applies to Himself ( Psalms 22:6 ), so completely are the Lord and His people identified and assimilated. God's people are as 'worms' in humble thoughts of themselves, and in their enemies' haughty thoughts of them; worms, but not vipers, or of the serpent's seed." [HENRY].
men--The parallelism requires the word "men" here to have associated with it the idea of fewness or feebleness. LOWTH translates, "Ye mortals of Israel." The Septuagint, "altogether diminutive." MAURER supports English Version, which the Hebrew text best accord with.
15 I am going to make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp, double-edged teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them to dust. You will turn the hills into straw.
16 You will toss them in the air, and the wind will blow them all away; a whirlwind will scatter them. And the joy of the LORD(Jesus) will fill you to overflowing. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD(Jesus), will answer them. I, the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, will never forsake them.
18 I will open up rivers for them on high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. In the deserts they will find pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the dry, parched ground.
19 I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and wild olive trees in the desert. I will place cedar, fir, and cypress trees together in the wilderness.
20 Everyone will see this miracle and understand that it is I, the LORD(Jesus), the Holy One of Israel, who did it.
God TELLS US TO DEFEND OURSELVES TO HIM—TO PLEAD OUR CASE:
21 "Present your case," says the LORD(Jesus). "Bring forward your best arguments," says Jacob's king.
22 Let them try to tell us what happened long ago or what the future holds.
23 Tell us what's going to happen so that we may know that you are gods(elohim/theos). Yes, do something, good or evil, to intimidate us and make us afraid.
24 Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.
25 I have stirred up a leader from the north and east. He will come against the nations and call on my name, and I will give him victory over kings and princes. He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.
call . . . my name--acknowledge Me as God, and attribute his success to Me; this he did in the proclamation ( Ezra 1:2 ).
26 Who but I have told you this would happen? Who else predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one else said a word!
27 I was the first to tell Zion, 'Look, here they are.' I gave Jerusalem a messenger with the gospel.
28 When I look, there is no one. There is no one to advise them. When I ask them a question, will they give an answer?
29 All of them are nothing. They can't do anything. Their idols are nothing but air."
The Prophets:
Isaiah 42
GOD THE FATHER SPEAKS OF JESUS:
1 Here is my servant, whom I support. Here is my chosen(Elect) One, with whom I am pleased. I have put my Spirit on him. I will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
This is one of the only times in all the Bible, where God(Elohim/Theos) The Father speaks!! Like in Mark 1:11. Most of the time the God who is speaking is JESUS. This is God THE FATHER!
The express quotation in Matthew 12:18-20 , and the description can apply to Messiah alone ( Psalms 40:6 ; with which compare Exodus 21:6 , John 6:38 , Philippians 2:7 ). Israel, also, in its highest ideal, is called the "servant" of God ( Isaiah 49:3 ). But this ideal is realized only in the antitypical Israel, its representative-man and Head, Messiah (compare Matthew 2:15 , with Hosea 11:1 ). "Servant" was the position assumed by the Son of God throughout His humiliation.
elect--chosen by God before the foundation of the world for an atonement ( 1 Peter 1:20 , Revelation 13:8 ).
2 He will not cry out or raise his voice. He will not make his voice heard in the streets.
3 He will not bruise those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged.
bruised--"It pleased the Lord to bruise Him" ( Isaiah 53:5 Isaiah 53:10 , Genesis 3:15 ); so He can feel for the bruised. As Isaiah 42:2 described His unturbulent spirit towards His violent enemies ( Matthew 12:14-16 ), and His utter freedom from love of notoriety, so Isaiah 42:3 , His tenderness in cherishing the first spark of grace in the penitent ( Isaiah 40:11 ).
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.
HIS LAW: Jesus owns the Law- He wrote it, it belongs to him!
5 Thus says God(Elohim/Theos) the LORD(Jesus), Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:
I believe this is Jesus now speaking
6 I, the LORD(Jesus), have called you to do what is right. I will take hold of your hand. I will protect you. I will appoint you as my promise to the people, as my light to the nations.
7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the LORD(Jesus); that is my name. I will not give my glory to anyone else and I will not share my praise with carved idols.
9 What I said in the past has come true. I will reveal new things before they happen.
This is for the future when all will see that God's promises and predictions have come true
10 Sing a new song to the LORD(Jesus)! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands.
Again, coastlands are the USA and England
11 Let those who live in the desert and its cities raise their voices. Let those who live in the settlements of Kedar praise him. Let those who live in Sela sing for joy. Let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the LORD(Jesus), And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The LORD(Jesus) will march forth like a mighty man; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his thundering battle cry, and he will crush all his enemies.
14 He will say, I have long been silent; yes, I have restrained myself. But now I will give full vent to my fury; I will gasp and pant like a woman giving birth.
15 I will lay waste to mountains and hills. I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into islands. I will dry up ponds.
16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. I will make rough places smooth. These are the things I will do for them, and I will never abandon them.
blind--God's people, Israel, in captivity, needing a guide. In the ulterior sense the New Testament Church, which was about to be led and enlightened by the Son of God as its leader and shepherd in the wilderness of the Roman empire, until it should reach a city of habitation. "A way . . . they knew not," refers to the various means ployed by Providence for the establishment of the Church in the world, such as would never have occurred to the mind of mere man. "Blind," they are called, as not having heretofore seen God's ways in ordering His Church. (Jamieson)
17 Then those who trust idols and those who say to statues, "You are our gods(elohim/theos)" will be turned away and put to shame.
18 Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but my servant or deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one who has my trust or blind like the servant of the LORD(Jesus)?
20 People seeing without understanding and refuse to act. People hearing without listening.
21 The LORD(Jesus) is pleased for His righteousness' sake. He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
Jesus is coming to exalt, magnify and bring the LAW(Torah) Matthew 5:17
22 But what a sight his people are, for they have been robbed, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for all and have no one to protect them.
23 Who among you will listen to this? Is there anyone who will pay attention and listen in the future?
24 Who gave Jacob away as loot and handed Israel over to robbers? Wasn't it the LORD(Jesus), against whom we have sinned? They didn't want to live his way. Nor were they obedient to His law.
Obedience to the Law!
25 That is why he poured out such fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were set on fire and burned, but they still refused to understand.
Isaiah 43
4000 YEAR SHORT HISTORY LESSON OF ISRAEL:
1 But now, this is what the LORD(Jesus) who created Jacob and formed Israel says: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; You are Mine.
Mine= Marriage
So believers, "created in Christ Jesus" ( Ephesians 2:10 ), "a peculiar people" ( 1 Peter 2:9 ).
redeemed--a second argument why they should trust Him besides creation. The Hebrew means to ransom by a price paid in lieu of the captives (compare Isaiah 43:3 ). Babylon was to be the ransom in this Case, that is, was to be destroyed, in order that they might be delivered; so Christ became a curse, doomed to death, that we might be redeemed.
called .. name--not merely "called" in general, as in Isaiah 42:6 , 48:12 , 51:2 , but designated as His own peculiar people (compare Isaiah 45:3 Isaiah 45:4 , Exodus 32:1 , 33:12 , John 10:3 ).
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not harm you.
3 I am the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos), the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Egypt is the ransom I exchanged for you. Sudan and Seba are the price I paid for your freedom.
The price? Jesus' Blood! Christ last words- “Paid in Full!”
4 Others died that you might live. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.
God actually kills others to protect HIS people! Not a popular doctrine maybe among “Christians” but this is God TALKING! It is HIS doctrine.
-Either Egypt or Israel must perish; God chose that Egypt, though so much more mighty, should be destroyed, in order that His people might be delivered; thus Egypt stood, instead of Israel, as a kind of "ransom." The Hebrew, kopher, means properly "that with which anything is overlaid," as the pitch with which the ark was overlaid; hence that which covers over sins, an atonement. Nebuchadnezzar had subdued Egypt, Ethiopia (Hebrew, Cush), and Saba (descended from Cush, Genesis 10:7 , probably Meroe of Ethiopia, a great island formed by the Astaboras and the Nile, conquered by Cambyses, successor of Cyrus). Cyrus received these from God with the rest of the Babylonian dominions, in consideration of his being about to deliver Israel. However, the reference may be to the three years' war in which Sargon overcame these countries, and so had his attention diverted from [VITRINGA]. But the reference is probably more general, namely, to all the instances in which Jehovah sacrificed mighty heathen nations, when the safety of Israel required it. (Jamieson)
5 Do not be afraid, because I am with you. I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west.
Jacob (Israel) is in the west, Jews in the east! How accurate!
6 I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not keep them." Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the ends of the earth.
7 Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
“CHRISTIANS”
8 Bring the people who are blind but still have eyes, the people who are deaf but still have ears.
Solemn challenge given by God to the nations to argue with Him the question of His superiority to their idols, and His power to deliver Israel ( Isaiah 41:1 ).
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and people to assemble. Who among them could have revealed this? Who among them could have foretold this to us? They should bring their witnesses to prove that they were right. Let the people hear them. Then they will say that it is true.
10 “You are my witnesses," declares the LORD(Jesus): I have chosen you as my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God(Elohim/Theos). Before ME there was no god(elohim/theos) formed, neither shall there be after me.
There was nothing before God and Jesus -- the false gods were not formed. "Formed" applies to the idols, not to God. Revelation 1:11 uses the same language to prove the Godhead of Jesus, as Isaiah here to prove the Godhead of Jehovah.
11 I alone am the LORD(Jesus), and there is no savior except me.
The LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) is the Savior!
12 First I predicted your deliverance; I declared what I would do, and then I did it – I saved you. No foreign {God(Elohim/Theos)} has ever done this before. You are witnesses that I am the only God(Elohim/Theos)," says the LORD(Jesus).
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?"
14 The LORD(Jesus) your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: "For your sakes I will send an invading army against Babylon. And the Babylonians will be forced to flee in those ships they are so proud of.
15 I am the LORD(Jesus), your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 I am the LORD(Jesus), who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.
17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
18 Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don't you recognize it? I will clear a way in the desert. I will make rivers on dry land.
This is after the tribulation... God is clearing the way for HIS CHURCH to be protected in the desert.
20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and ostriches, too, for giving them water in the wilderness and and rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 I have formed My people for myself. They will praise me.
22 But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have grown tired of me.
23 You did not bring me sheep for your burnt offerings or honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you by requiring grain offerings or trouble you by requiring incense offerings.
24 You have not brought me fragrant incense or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your sins.
25 I – yes, I alone – am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and I will remember them {your sins} no more!
Christ blots out our sins-- and unlike us, he remembers them no more!"Blotted out" is an image from an account-book, in which, when a debt is paid, the charge is cancelled or blotted out. (Jamieson)
26 Remind me [of what happened]. Let us argue our case together. State your case so that you can prove you are right.
God(Elohim/Theos) again tells us to state our case
27 From the very beginning, your ancestors sinned against me – all your leaders broke my laws.
28 That is why I have disgraced your priests and assigned Jacob called Israel a future of complete destruction and shame.
Isaiah 44
CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER
JESUS (THE LORD) TALKS TO HIS PEOPLE:
1 But now listen, my servant Jacob, and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 The LORD(Jesus) who made you and formed you in the womb says: 'O Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid. O Israel, my chosen one, do not fear.
3 I will pour water on the thirsty ground and {cause it to} rain on dry land. I will pour my Spirit on your descendants and my blessing on your children.
4 They will thrive like watered grass, like willow trees on a riverbank.'
5 One will say, "I am the LORD's(Yahweh)." Another will call on the name of Jacob. Another will write on his hand, "The LORD's(Yahweh)," and he will adopt the name of Israel.
Adopt the name of Israel (those who become naturalized citizens because they want the blessing that God gave to our land! America is what is being foretold here. We are a nation that allows aliens to live with us AS AMERICANS!
Jamieson says: The Gentiles (as the result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Israel, the Lord's "seed," first) shall join themselves to the children of Jacob, in order to worship their God (compare Isaiah 43:7 , Psalms 49:11 ). Or, "calls," that is, invokes and celebrates the name of Jacob, attaches himself to his nation and religion [MAURER], ( Psalms 24:6 ).
6 The LORD(Jesus) is Israel's king and defender. He is the LORD(Jesus) of angels. This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: I am the first and the last, and there is no God(Elohim/Theos) except me.
Revel 1:8. Here both the word LORD and GOD are meant to be uniplural! Both the Father and Jesus are talking in agreement. Yahweh is the FAMILY name for the Father and Jesus. Elohim is what “species” they are! So, they are the LORD and they are the only true ELOHIM—GOD!
7 What {god} is like me? {That god} should come and prove it. Let him tell and explain all that has happened since I set up my ancient people. He should also tell what will happen in the future.
8 Don't be terrified or afraid. Didn't I make this known to you long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God(Elohim/Theos) except me? There is no [other] rock; I know of none.
Peter is not the rock--- JESUS IS! Peter is really translated “a pebble” - the rock is Jesus. The right translation of Matthew 16:8 would be “You are Peter (a stone) and upon this ROCK (Christ) I will build my church!” Peter is not the Rock – Christ is. He says so right here!
From the time of Abraham's call, his family were the depositories of the predictions of the Redeemer, whereas the promise of Cyrus was not heard of till Isaiah's time; therefore, the event to the prediction and accomplishment of which God appeals in proof of His sole Godhead, is the redemption of man by a descendant of Abraham, in whose person "the ancient people" was first formally "appointed." The deliverance of the Jews, by Cyrus, is mentioned afterwards only as an earnest of that greater mercy [HORSLEY].
9 All who make idols are stupid. Their {so-called} precious treasures are worthless. Their own people(witnesses) who worship idols don’t know this, so they are all put to shame.
10 Nothing comes from making gods)(elohim/theos) or casting metal idols.
A made god, worshipped by its maker ( 1 Corinthians 8:4 )!
11 Everyone associated with them will be put to shame. The craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all get together and take their stand. They will be frightened and ashamed together.
12 The blacksmith stands at his forge to make sharp tools, pounding and shaping it with hammers. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint.
13 Carpenters measure blocks of wood with {chalk} lines. They mark them with pencils. They carve them with chisels and mark them with a compass. They carve them into forms of people, beautiful people, so the idols can live poweless in shrines.
beauty of a man--irony. The highest idea the heathen could form of a god was one of a form like their own. JEROME says, "The more handsome the statue the more august the god was thought." The incarnation of the Son of God condescends to this anthropomorphic feeling so natural to man, but in such a way as to raise man's thoughts up to the infinite God who "is a spirit."
14 He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the cedar in the forest to be nourished by the rain.
An early “plant a tree-worship” event like today's!
cypress--rather, from Hebrew root, "to be hard," the holm oak," an evergreen abundant in Palestine [GESENIUS].
15 These trees are for people to burn. So he takes part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread. Then – yes, it's true – he takes the rest of the wood and make a god(elohim/theos) for people to worship! He makes an idol and bows down and praises it!
16 Half of the wood they burn in the fire. Over this half they roast meat that they can eat until they are full. They also warm themselves and say, "Ah! We are warm. We can see the fire!"
17 But the rest of the wood he makes into gods(elohim/theos), carved statues. The people bow to them and worship them. They pray to them, saying, "Deliver us, for you are our gods(elohim/theos)."
Notice that the same word: Elohim here is translated gods! PLURAL! God in the Bible (except in the New Testament is almost always referring to BOTH of the Godhead!
18 They are stupid, ignoarant {of the ways of God). Their eyes are plastered shut, so they can't see. And their minds are closed, so they can't understand.
See Matthew 13:14 – God wants to keep the people blind!
19 No one stops to think. No one has the brains or understanding to say, "I burned half of the wood in the fire. I also baked bread over its coals. I roasted meat to eat. Now I am making the rest of the wood into a worthless thing and bowing to a block of wood."
20 They eat ashes because they are deceived. Theye trust in something that can't help them at all. They cannot bring themselves to ask, "Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?"
21 Remember these things, O Jacob: Israel, for you are my servant. I formed you; and I will not forget to help you.
22 I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.
Christ's death on the cross paid the penalty, or the price of our sin.
23 Sing with joy, O you heavens, because the LORD(Jesus) has done this. Rejoice, you deep places of the earth. Break into shouts of joy, you mountains, you forests and every tree in them. The LORD(Jesus) has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.
24Thus says the LORD(Jesus) your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: I am the LORD(Jesus) who made everything. I stretched out the heavens by myself. I spread out the earth all alone.
Jesus made everything! John 1:3
25 I {AM} the one who exposes the false prophets as liars by causing events to happen that are contrary to their predictions. I cause wise people to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools.
26 But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! When they say Jerusalem will be saved and the towns of Judah will be lived in once again, it will be done!
Jesus is always right! His predictions come true! If you want to be able to predict the future, listen to what He says in the Bible!
27 When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Be dry!' they will be dry.
28 When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say. He will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt and that the Temple be restored."
Jesus here is predicting that the Temple would be restored before too long-- and that it would stand again before His first coming! Ezra read this and believed! He helped rebuild this temple!
Isaiah 45
LOOKING FORWARD TO MESSIAH:
Isaiah 45:1-7 . These seven verses should have been appended to previous chapter, and the new chapter should begin with Isaiah 45:8 , "Drop down," &c. [HORSLEY]. Reference to the deliverance by Messiah often breaks out from amidst the local and temporary details of the deliverance from Babylon, as the great ultimate end of the prophecy.
1 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says to his anointed one-to Cyrus. I have held him by his right hand so he could conquer the nations ahead of him, strip kings of their power, and open doors ahead of him so that the gates would not be shut.
2 I will go before you and smooth out the rough places. I will break down the bronze doors and cut through the iron bars.
3 And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, the One who calls you by name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, {and the nation of}Israel, my chosen one, I have called you by name. I have given you a title of honor, although you don't know me.
5 I am the LORD(Jesus), and there is no other. There is no other God(Elohim/Theos) besides me. I will strengthen you, even though you do not know me,
6 so that from the east to the west people will know that there is none except me. I am the LORD(Jesus), and there is no other.
7 I create light and darkness. I make peace and create disasters. I, the LORD(Jesus), do all these things.
8 Rain down from above, O heavens, and pour down righteousness, you skies. Let the earth open. Let salvation and righteousness sprout. Let them spring up. I, the LORD(Jesus), have created them.
9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Does a clay pot ever argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you are doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be!'
10 Woe to him who says to his father, "Why did you conceive me?" or to his mother, "Why did you go through labor pains for me?"
11 Thus says the LORD(Jesus), the Holy One of Israel. This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: "Do you question what I do? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
12 I {AM} the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the millions of stars are at my command.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward," Says the LORD(Jesus) of hosts.
14 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: The products from Egypt, the merchandise from Sudan, and the important Sabaeans will come to you. They will belong to you. They will follow you. They will come to you in chains. They will bow to you and pray to you, "Certainly God(Elohim/Theos) is with you alone, and there is no other God(Elohim/Theos).”
15 Truly You are God(Elohim/Theos)-- who has hidden himself. You are the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, the Savior!
The Savior is The God of Israel—JESUS! See John8:58
16 All who make idols will be humiliated and disgraced.
17 But the LORD(Jesus) will save the people of Israel with eternal salvation. They will never again be humiliated and disgraced throughout everlasting ages.
18 For the LORD(Jesus) is God(Elohim/Theos), and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos."I am the LORD(Jesus)," he says, "and there is no other!”
19 I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain'; I, the LORD(Jesus), speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
20 Gather together and come, you fugitives from surrounding nations. What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols and pray to gods(elohim/theos) who cannot save!
Christ plainly quotes these words, thereby identifying Himself with Jehovah ( John 18:20 ).
21 Speak up! Argue your case! State your proofs that idol worship pays! Who made these things known long ago? What idol ever told you they would happen? Was it not I, the LORD(Jesus)? There is no other God(Elohim/Theos) except me. There is no other righteous God(Elohim/Theos) and Savior besides me.
22 Look to me to be saved, all who live at the ends of the earth, because I am God(Elohim/Theos), and there is no other.
23 I have sworn as I live, and I will never go back on my word: "Every knee will bow to me and every tongue will swear {allegiance}."
"As I live," as Romans 14:11 quotes it.
24 The people will declare, "The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength." And all who were angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.
25 In the LORD(Jesus) all the descendants of Israel will be justified, and in him they will boast.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 46
1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops low. Their statues are seated on animals and cattle. They are burdens, a load for weary people.
Bel--the same as the Phoenician Baal, that is, lord, the chief god of Babylon; to it was dedicated the celebrated tower of Babylon, in the center of one of the two parts into which the city was divided, the palace being in the center of the other. Identical with the sun, worshipped on turrets, housetops, and other high places, so as to be nearer the heavenly hosts (Saba) ( Jeremiah 19:13 , 32:29 , Zephaniah 1:5 ). GESENIUS identifies Bel with the planet Jupiter, which, with the planet Venus (under the name Astarte or Astaroth), was worshipped in the East as the god of fortune, the most propitious star to be born under Bel and the Dragon, Bel was cast down by Cyrus. (Jamieson)
Nebo--the planet Mercury or Hermes, in astrology. The scribe of heaven, answering to the Egyptian Anubis. The extensive worship of it is shown by the many proper names compounded of it: Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuzar-adan, Nabonassar (Jamieson)
2 They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the heavy loads-- But have themselves gone into captivity.
3 Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, the few that are left of the nation of Israel. I've carried you since your birth. I've taken care of you from the time you were born.
4 Even when you're old, I'll take care of you. Even when your hair turns gray, I'll support you. I made you and will continue to care for you. I'll support you and save you.
5 To whom will you compare me and make me equal? To whom will you compare me so that we can be alike?
6 Some people pour out their silver and gold and hire a craftsman to make a god(elohim/theos). They bow down and worship it.
7 They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there. It cannot move! And when someone prays to it, there is no answer. It's powerless to help anyone in trouble.
8 Remember this, and take courage. Recall your rebellious acts {aganist me}.
9 And do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am God(Elohim/Theos) – I alone! I am God(Elohim/Theos), and there is no one else like me.
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, "Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish."
God new the end, from the beginning! God knows the future!
11 I will call a bird of prey from the east. I will call someone for my plan from a faraway land. I have spoken, and I will bring it about. I have planned it, and I will do it.
12 Listen to me, you stubborn people who are far from being righteous.
13 For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! I am ready to save Jerusalem(ZION) and give my glory to Israel.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 47
THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON (Revelation 18):
1 Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground, not on a throne, princess of the Babylonians! You will no longer be called soft and delicate.
2 Take millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil. Take off your skirt. Uncover your legs, and cross the river.
3 People will see you naked. People will see your shame. I will take revenge. I won't spare anyone.
4 Our defender is the Holy One of Israel. His name is the LORD(Jesus) of angels.
5 O daughter of Babylonia, sit now in darkness and silence. Never again will you be known as the queen of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people. I dishonored those who belong to me. I put them under your control. You showed them no mercy. You placed a heavy burden on old people.
7 You said, "I will always be a queen." You didn't carefully consider these things or keep in mind how they would end.
Revelation 18:7
8 You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure, bragging as if you were the greatest in the world! You say, 'I'm self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone! I will never be a widow or lose my children.'
9 In one day both of these will happen to you instantly: the loss of your children and your husband. Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic.
Revelation 18:8
10 You felt secure in all your wickedness. 'No one sees me,' you said. Your 'wisdom' and 'knowledge' have caused you to turn away from me and claim, 'I am self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone!'
11 But evil will happen to you. You won't know how to keep it away. Disaster will strike you. You won't be able to stop it. Destruction will overtake you suddenly. You won't expect it.
12 Keep practicing your spells and your evil {black}magic. You have practiced them ever since you were young. You may succeed. You may cause terror.
13 You are worn out by your many plans. Let your astrologers and your stargazers, who foretell the future month by month, come to you, rise up, and save you.
14 But they are as useless as dried grass burning in a fire. They cannot even save themselves! You will get no help from them at all. Their hearth is not a place to sit for warmth.
15 This is how it will be for those who have worked with you, for those who have been with you ever since you were young. They will go their own ways, and there will be no one to save you.
Isaiah 48
JEWS TODAY ARE THE FALSE ISRAELITES:
1 Listen to this, descendants of Jacob! You are given the name of Israel. You are descended from Judah. You take oaths by the name of the LORD(Jesus). You acknowledge the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, but you are not honest or sincere.
Here is conclusive proof that in the end times, the nation of Judah (the Jewish people) would be calling themselves ISRAEL, a name that does not belong to them. They are Judah, one tribe of the House of Israel. However, the name “ISRAEL” belongs soley to the tribe of JOSEPH! The modern nation of Israel today is fulfilling this prophecy. Israel today= USA and England.
2 You call yourselves {citizens} of the holy city. You depend on the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel- the LORD(Jesus) of angels is HIS name.
3 Time and again I warned you about what was going to happen in the future. Then suddenly I took action, and all my predictions came true.
4 I know that you are stubborn. Like iron, you are hardheaded. Like bronze, nothing gets through your thick skull.
5 That is why I told you ahead of time what I was going to do. That way, you could never say, 'My idols did it. My wooden image and metal idol commanded it to happen!'
6 You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to admit it. Now I will tell you new things I have not mentioned before, secrets you have not yet heard.
7 They are brand new, not things from the past. So you cannot say, 'We knew that all the time!'
8 Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new, for I know so well what traitors you are. You have been rebels from your earliest childhood, rotten to the core.
9 Yet for my own sake, for the honor of my name, I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.
10 I have refined you, but not like silver. I have tested you in the furnace of suffering.
11 I am doing this for myself, only for myself. Why should my name be dishonored? I will not give my glory to anyone else.
12 Listen to me, O Jacob, and {the nation}Israel, whom I have called. I am the one. I am the first and the last.
13 It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth. The palm of my right hand spread out the heavens above. I spoke, and they came into being.
14 Have any of your idols ever told you this? Come, all of you, and listen: 'The LORD has chosen Cyrus as his ally. He will use him to put an end to the empire of Babylon, destroying the Babylonian armies.'
15 I alone have spoken. I have called him. I will bring him here, and he will prosper.
16 Come closer and hear. I have told you plainly what would happen so you would have no trouble understanding."And now the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) has sent me and his Spirit.
17 This is what the LORD(Jesus), your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos), Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.
18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
If we only heeded God's Laws, we would be saved!
19 Your descendants would be like sand. Your children would be like its grains. Their names would not be cut off or wiped out in my presence.
20 Flee Babylon; run from the Babylonians--singing as you go! Shout it out to the ends of the earth. Say that the LORD(Jesus) has redeemed His servant Jacob.
Revelation 18:4
21 They were not thirsty when He led them through the deserts. HE made water flow from a rock for them. He split a rock, and water gushed out.
22 "There is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD(Jesus).
The Prophets:
Isaiah 49
THE MESSIAH (CHRIST):
1 Listen to me, O coastlands. Pay attention, you people far away. Before I was born, the LORD(Jesus) chose me. While I was in my mother's womb, he recorded my name.
Call for US to listen today in America
This is in red because most believe this is the messiah speaking—Jesus and in this case God and Yahweh mean the FATHER!
His name "Jesus" (that is, God-Saviour) was designated by God before His birth ( Matthew 1:21 ).
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword and hid me in the palm of his hand. He made me like a sharpened arrow and hid me in his quiver.
my mouth . . . sword--( Isaiah 11:4 , Revelation 19:15 ). The double office of the Word of God, saving and damnatory, is implied ( Isaiah 50:4 , John 12:48 , Hebrews 4:12 ).
3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory."
Israel--applied to Messiah, according to the true import of the name, the Prince who had power with God in wrestling in behalf of man, and who prevails ( Genesis 32:28 , Hosea 12:3 Hosea 12:4 ). He is also the ideal Israel, the representative man of the nation (compare Matthew 2:15 with Hosea 11:1 ).
4 But I said, "I have worked in vain. I have used my strength, but I didn't accomplish anything. Yet, certainly my case is in the LORD(Jesus)'s hands, and my reward is with my God(Elohim/Theos)."
in vain--comparatively in the case of the greater number of His own countrymen. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" ( Isaiah 53:1-3 , Luke 19:14 , John 1:11 , 7:5 ). Only a hundred twenty disciples met after His personal ministry was ended ( Acts 1:15 ).
I--Messiah.
5 The LORD(Jesus) formed me in the womb to be his servant in order to bring Jacob back to him, so that Israel maybe gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD(Jesus), And My God(Elohim/Theos) shall be My strength),
( Matthew 23:37 ).
6 Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' "
7 Thus says the LORD(Jesus) The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One. This is what the LORD(Jesus) says to the despised one, to the one scorned by the nation, to the slave of rulers: "Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will bow low because the LORD(Jesus) is faithful. The Holy One of Israel has chosen you.
Isaiah 53—The Suffering Messiah- Jesus
The kings and leaders of this world will see the returning Christ, Jesus, as He really is and realize who He is!
8 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: In the time of favor I will answer you. In the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you. I will appoint you as covenant to the people. You will restore the land. You will make them inherit the desolate inheritance.
day of salvation--when "the fulness of time" ( Galatians 4:4 ) shall have come. The day of salvation is "to-day" ( Hebrews 4:7 ).
9 Through you I am saying to the prisoners of darkness, 'Come out! I am giving you your freedom!' They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare.
10 They will never be hungry or thirsty, nor will the sun or the burning, hot wind strike them. The one who has compassion on them will lead them and guide them to springs.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be restored.
12 They will come from far away. They will come from the north and from the west, and they will come from the land of Sinim.
Sinim--The Arabians and other Asiatics called China Sin, or Tchin; the Chinese had no special name for themselves, but either adopted that of the reigning dynasty or some high-sounding titles. This view of "Sinim" suits the context which requires a people to be meant "from far," and distinct from those "from the north and from the west" [GESENIUS].
13 Sing with joy, you heavens! Rejoice, you earth! Break into shouts of joy, you mountains! The LORD(Jesus) has comforted his people and will have compassion on his humble people.
So Revelation 12:12 . God will have mercy on the afflicted, because of His compassion; on His afflicted, because of His covenant.
14 But Zion said, "The LORD(Jesus) has forsaken me. My LORD(Jesus) has forgotten me."
15 Can a woman forget her nursing child? Will she have no compassion on the child from her womb? Although mothers may forget, I will not forget you.
16 I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are always in my presence.
17 Your children will hurry back. Those who destroyed you and laid waste to you will leave you.
18 Lift up your eyes, look around and see; All these gather together and come to you. “As I live," says the LORD(Jesus), "you will wear all of them like jewels and display them on yourself as a bride would."
19 Though you are destroyed and demolished and your land is in ruins, you will be too crowded for [your] people now. Those who devoured you will be long gone.
20 The children taken from you will say to you, "This place is too crowded for me. Make room for me to live here."
21 Then you will think to yourself, 'Who has given me all these descendants? For most of my children were killed, and the rest were carried away into exile. I was left here all alone. Who bore these children? Who raised them for me?'"
22 This is what the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) says: See, I will give a signal to the nations. They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms; they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.
23 Then kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens will nurse you. They will bow in front of you with their faces touching the ground. They will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD(Jesus). For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.
24 Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives go?
25 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they will become drunk on their own blood as though it were new wine. Then all humanity will know that I am the LORD(Jesus), I am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
All the earth, the entire universe will know that Jesus is The LORD God! Yahweh! The savior of the world!
The Prophets:
Isaiah 50
1 The LORD(Jesus) asks: Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? Is that why you are not here? Is your mother gone because I divorced her and sent her away? No, you went away as captives because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins.
2 Was I too weak to save you? Is that why the house is silent and empty when I come home? Is it because I have no power to rescue? No, that is not the reason! For I can speak to the sea and make it dry! I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish.
The same Divine Person had "come" by His prophets in the Old Testament (appealing to them, but in vain, Jeremiah 7:25 Jeremiah 7:26 ), who was about to come under the New Testament.
3 I clothe the heavens in darkness and cover them with sackcloth.
4 The {Almighty} LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) will teach me what to say, so I will know how to encourage weary people. Morning after morning he will wake me to listen like a student.
not in mere human learning, but in divinely taught modes of instruction and eloquence ( Isaiah 49:2 , Exodus 4:11 , Matthew 7:28 Matthew 7:29 , 13:54 ).
5 The Almighty LORD(Jesus) will open my ears. I will not rebel, nor will I turn away [from him].
6 I will offer my back to those who whip me and my cheeks to those who pluck hairs out of my beard. I will not turn my face away from those who humiliate me and spit on me.
Literally fulfilled ( Matthew 27:26 , 26:27 , Luke 18:33 ).
the voluntary nature of His sufferings; His example corresponds to His precept ( Matthew 5:39 ). spitting--To spit in another's presence is an insult in the East, much more on one; most of all in the face ( Job 30:10 , Matthew 27:30 , Luke 18:32 ).
7 The LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) helps me. That is why I will not be ashamed. I have set my face like a flint. I know that I will not be put to shame.
8 The one who pronounces me innocent is near. Who will bring a case against me? Let us confront each other! Who accuses me? Let him confront me!
The believer, by virtue of his oneness with Christ, uses the same language Psalms 138:8 Romans 8:32-34 . But "justify" in His case, is God's judicial acceptance and vindication of Him on the ground of His own righteousness ( Luke 23:44-47 , Romans 1:4 , 1 Timothy 3:16 , with which compare 1 Peter 3:18 ); in their case, on the ground of His righteousness and meritorious death imputed to them ( Romans 5:19 ).
9 The LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) helps me. Then who will find me guilty? They will all wear out like a garment. Moths will eat them.
10 Who among you fears the LORD(Jesus) and obeys his servant? Let those who walk in darkness and have no light trust the name of the LORD(Jesus) and depend upon their God(Elohim/Theos).
11 But all of you light fires and arm yourselves with flaming torches. So walk in your own light and among the torches you have lit. This is what you will receive from me: You shall die in torment.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 51
ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE FAITHFUL REMNANT OF ISRAEL:
ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE FAITHFUL REMNANT OF ISRAEL:
1 Listen to me, you people who pursue what is right and seek the LORD(Jesus). Look to the Rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham, your ancestor, and to Sarah, who bore you. When I called Abraham, he was childless. I blessed him and gave him many descendants.
3 For the LORD(Jesus) will comfort Zion. He will comfort all those who live among its ruins. He will make its desert like Eden. He will make its wilderness like the garden of the LORD(Jesus). Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Zion or Jerusalem can also mean God's CHURCH!
4 Listen to Me, O My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples.
5 My righteousness is near. My salvation is on the way. I will bring justice to people. The coastlands put their hope in me, and they wait eagerly for me.
6 Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth beneath. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!
7 Listen to me, you who know right from wrong and cherish my Law(Torah) in your hearts. Do not be afraid of people's scorn or their slanderous talk.
8 For the moth will destroy them as it destroys clothing. The worm will eat away at them as it eats wool. But my righteousness will last forever. My salvation will continue from generation to generation.
9 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O LORD(Jesus)! Wake up as you did in days long past, as in generations long ago. Didn't you cut Rahab into pieces and stab the serpent?
This is Isaiah praying to God.
10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over?
11 Those who have been ransomed by the LORD(Jesus) will return. They will come to Zion singing with joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness.
12 I, even I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?
13 Why have you forgotten the LORD(Jesus), your Maker? He stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. Why should you live in constant fear of the fury of those who oppress you, of those who are ready to destroy you? Where is the fury of those who oppress you?
14 Soon all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!
15 I am the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar. My name is the LORD(Jesus) of angels.
The Lord of Hosts – or The Lord of the angels of the universe
16 I put my words in your mouth and sheltered you in the palm of my hand. I stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and said to Zion, "You are my people."
17 Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the LORD(Jesus). That cup was filled with his anger. You drank from the bowl, the cup that makes people stagger, and you drained it!
18 Not one of your children is left alive to help you or tell you what to do.
19 Twice as many disasters have happened to you. Who will feel sorry for you? Violence, destruction, famine, and war have happened to you. Who will comfort you?
20 Your children have fainted. They lie sleeping at every street corner. They are like an antelope caught in a net. They experience the anger of the LORD(Jesus), the fury of your God(Elohim/Theos).
21 Listen to this, you humble people who are drunk but not from wine.
22 The LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) defends his people. This is what your master says: See, I am taking the terrible cup from your hands. You will drink no more of my fury. It is gone at last!
23 But I will put that cup into the hands of those who tormented you. I will give it to those who trampled you into the dust and walked on your backs.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 52
1 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful clothes, holy city of Jerusalem. For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.
2 Shake the dust from yourselves. Get up, captive Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains around your neck, captive people of Zion.
3 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: You have sold yourselves, but no price was paid. You shall be redeemed without money
4 This is what the Almighty LORD(Jesus) says: My people went to Egypt to live there. Later the Assyrians oppressed them for no reason.
5 And now, what is this? asks the LORD(Jesus). My people are taken away for no reason. Their rulers are screaming, declares the LORD(Jesus). And my name is cursed all day long.
6 Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: 'Behold, it is I.' "
shall know in that day--when Christ shall reveal Himself to Israel sensibly; the only means whereby their obstinate unbelief shall be overcome
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel reigns!
Good news = the gospel Fully, and antitypically, the Gospel ( Luke 2:10 Luke 2:11 ), "beginning at Jerusalem" ( Luke 24:17 ), "the city of the great King" ( Matthew 5:35 ), where Messiah shall, at the final restoration of Israel, "reign" as peculiarly Zion's God ("Thy God reigneth"; compare Psalms 2:6 ).
8 Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices and shout together joyfully. When the LORD(Jesus) brings Zion back, they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Break out into shouts of joy, ruins of Jerusalem. The LORD(Jesus) will comfort his people. He will reclaim Jerusalem.
10 The LORD(Jesus) will show his holy power to all the nations. All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God(Elohim/Theos).
11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD(Jesus) {in His Temple}.
12 You will not go away in a hurry, nor quickly. The LORD(Jesus) will go ahead of you. The God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel will guard you from behind.
JESUS:
13. Here the fifty-third chapter ought to begin, and the fifty-second chapter end with Isaiah 52:12 . This section, from here to end of the fifty-third chapter settles the controversy with the Jews, if Messiah be the person meant; and with infidels, if written by Isaiah, or at any time before Christ. The correspondence with the life and death of Jesus Christ is so minute, that it could not have resulted from conjecture or accident. An impostor could not have shaped the course of events so as to have made his character and life appear to be a fulfilment of it. The writing is, moreover, declaredly prophetic. The quotations of it in the New Testament show: (1) that it was, before the time of Jesus, a recognized part of the Old Testament; (2) that it refers to Messiah ( Matthew 8:17 15:28 Luke 22:37 John 12:38 Acts 8:28-35 Romans 10:16 1 Peter 2:21-25 ). The indirect allusions to it still more clearly prove the Messianic interpretation; so universal was that interpretation, that it is simply referred to in connection with the atoning virtue of His death, without being formally quoted ( mark 1:1 9:12 , Romans 4:25 , 1 Corinthians 15:3 , 2 Corinthians 5:21 , 1 Peter 1:19 , 2:21-25 , 1 John 3:5 ). The genuineness of the passage is certain; for the Jews would not have forged it, since it is opposed to their notion of Messiah, as a triumphant temporal prince. The Christians could not have forged it; for the Jews, the enemies of Christianity, are "our librarians" [PALEY]. The Jews try to evade its force by the figment of two Messiahs, one a suffering Messiah (Ben Joseph), the other a triumphant Messiah (Ben David). HILLEL maintained that Messiah has already come in the person of Hezekiah. BUXTORF states that many of the modern Rabbins believe that He has been come a good while, but will not manifest Himself because of the sins of the Jews. But the ancient Jews, as the Chaldee paraphrast, Jonathan, refer it to Messiah; so the Medrasch Tauchuma (a commentary on the Pentateuch); also Rabbi Moses Haddarschan (see HENGSTENBERG, Christology of the Old Testament). Some explain it of the Jewish people, either in the Babylonish exile, or in their present sufferings and dispersion. Others, the pious portion of the nation taken collectively, whose sufferings made a vicarious satisfaction for the ungodly. Others, Isaiah, or Jeremiah [GESENIUS], the prophets collectively. But an individual is plainly described: he suffers voluntarily, innocently, patiently, and as the efficient cause of the righteousness of His people, which holds good of none other but Messiah ( Isaiah 53:4-6 Isaiah 53:9 Isaiah 53:11 ; contrast Jeremiah 20:7 , 15:10-21 , Psalms 137:8 Psalms 137:9 ). Isaiah 53:9 can hold good of none other. The objection that the sufferings ( Isaiah 53:1-10 ) referred to are represented as past, the glorification alone as future ( Isaiah 52:13-15 , Isaiah 53:11 Isaiah 53:12 ) arises from not seeing that the prophet takes his stand in the midst of the scenes which he describes as future. The greater nearness of the first advent, and the interval between it and the second, are implied by the use of the past tense as to the first, the future as to the second. (JAMIESON)
13 My servant will be successful. He will be respected, praised, and highly honored.
14 Many will be shocked by him. His appearance will be so disfigured that he won't look like any other man. His looks will be so disfigured that he will hardly look like a human.
Christ was beaten beyond recognition!
15 He will cleanse many nations {with his blood}. Kings will shut their mouths because of him. They will see things that they had never been told. They will understand things that they had never heard.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 53
THE SUFFERING CHRIST:
The part of Isaiah not usually read by Jews today. It is about the suffering Christ.
1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD(Jesus)'s power been revealed?
The answer to this is Christians. JOHN 12:38 Romans 10:16
2 He grew up in his presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him.
Jesus was ordinary looking! In fact, people could not pick him out in a crowd. Even though he taught everyday in the Temple, the High Priest needed Judas to point Jesus out to the soldiers! He was that ordinary looking!
3 He was despised and rejected. A man of sorrows, familiar with suffering. He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces, and we didn't consider Him to be worth anything.
Jews today, claim their Messiah would come as a king. This shows that he was to come like Jesus did! Adam his his face from Jesus, so did the Jews, so do many today! Matthew 27:30 Hebrews 4:15 John 1:10
4 He certainly has taken upon himself our suffering and carried our sorrows, but we thought that God(Elohim/Theos) had wounded Him, beat Him, and punished Him.
The Jews believed him to be a sinner, beat him and killed him. Matthew 8:17 1 Peter 2:24
literally, "But yet He hath taken (or borne) our sicknesses," that is, they who despised Him because of His human infirmities ought rather to have esteemed Him on account of them; for thereby "Himself took OUR infirmities" (bodily diseases). So Matthew 8:17 quotes it. In the Hebrew for "borne," or took, there is probably the double notion, He took on Himself vicariously (so Isaiah 53:5 Isaiah 53:6 Isaiah 53:8 Isaiah 53:12 ), and so He took away; His perfect humanity whereby He was bodily afflicted for us, and in all our afflictions ( Isaiah 63:9 , Hebrews 4:15 ) was the ground on which He cured the sick; so that Matthew's quotation is not a mere accommodation. See Note 42 of ARCHBISHOP MAGEE, Atonement. The Hebrew there may mean to overwhelm with darkness; Messiah's time of darkness was temporary ( Matthew 27:45 ), answering to the bruising of His heel; Satan's is to be eternal, answering to the bruising of his head (compare Isaiah 50:10 ).
carried . . . sorrows--The notion of substitution strictly. "Carried," namely, as a burden. "Sorrows," that is, pains of the mind; as "griefs" refer to pains of the body ( Psalms 32:10 , 38:17 ). Matthew 8:17 might seem to oppose this: "And bare our sicknesses." But he uses "sicknesses" figuratively for sins, the cause of them. Christ took on Himself all man's "infirmities;" so as to remove them; the bodily by direct miracle, grounded on His participation in human infirmities; those of the soul by His vicarious suffering, which did away with the source of both. Sin and sickness are ethically connected as cause and effect ( Isaiah 33:24 , Psalms 103:3 , Matthew 9:2 , John 5:14 , 5:15 ). (Jamieson)
carried . . . sorrows--The notion of substitution strictly. "Carried," namely, as a burden. "Sorrows," that is, pains of the mind; as "griefs" refer to pains of the body ( Psalms 32:10 , 38:17 ). Matthew 8:17 might seem to oppose this: "And bare our sicknesses." But he uses "sicknesses" figuratively for sins, the cause of them. Christ took on Himself all man's "infirmities;" so as to remove them; the bodily by direct miracle, grounded on His participation in human infirmities; those of the soul by His vicarious suffering, which did away with the source of both. Sin and sickness are ethically connected as cause and effect ( Isaiah 33:24 , Psalms 103:3 , Matthew 9:2 , John 5:14 , 5:15 ). (Jamieson)
5 He was pierced for our lawlessness. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so that we could have peace. He was whipped, and {by His wounds} we were healed!
He was killed because of sin. Sin is the breaking of the Law! Christ did not come to take away the Law, but to take away the punishment for breaking the Law. The Law is still in force and always be – we are freed from the PENALTY of sin. Romans 4:25 1 Peter 2:24
-a bodily wound; not mere mental sorrow; literally, "pierced" as I used here; minutely appropriate to Messiah, whose hands, feet, and side were pierced ( Psalms 22:16 ). The Margin, wrongly, from a Hebrew root, translates, "tormented."
6 We have all strayed like sheep. Each one of us has turned to go his own way, and the LORD(Jesus) has laid all our sins on Him.
We are all sinners (1 John). In fact, if we say we have no sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us! Why is there suffering today? This is the answer. We have all gone our own way, a way opposite of God's Way (HIS LAW). And death and sorrow is our reward! Christ came to pay off this debt-with His blood. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 ; He was not merely a sin offering (which would destroy the antithesis to "righteousness"), but "sin for us"; sin itself vicariously; the representative of the aggregate sin of all mankind; not sins in the plural, for the "sin" of the world is one ( Romans 5:16 Romans 5:17 ); thus we are made not merely righteous, but righteousness, even "the righteousness of God." The innocent was punished as if guilty, that the guilty might be rewarded as if innocent. This verse could be said of no mere martyr.
7 He was abused and punished, yet He never said a word! He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He was like a sheep that is silent when its wool is cut off.
He is our Passover lamb! John 19:9
8 He was arrested, taken away, and judged. Who would have thought that He would be removed from the world? He was killed because of my people's sins.
Matthew 27:11-25 removed from the world-- He is in Heaven
Acts 8:33 ; translate as the Septuagint: "In His humiliation His judgment (legal trial) was taken away"; the virtual sense of the Hebrew as rendered by LOWTH and sanctioned by the inspired writer of Acts; He was treated as one so mean that a fair trial was denied Him ( Matthew 26:59 14:55-59 ). HORSLEY translates, "After condemnation and judgment He was accepted."
9 He was laid in a tomb like a criminal. He was put there with the rich when He died, although He had done nothing violent and had never spoken a lie.
Christ fulfilled this by dying (by crucifying Him with two thieves, Matthew 27:38 ) and being buried in a rich man's unused tomb; his uncle two rich men honored Him at His death, Joseph of Arimathæa. Christ never lied, only truth was in Him. The Devil is a liar and no truth is in him.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD(Jesus) to punish Him with suffering. When YOU{God the father} make His life a sacrifice for our wrongdoings, He will have a multitude of children, many heirs. The will of the LORD(Jesus) will succeed through Him.
They were voluntarily borne by Messiah, in order that thereby He might "do Jehovah's will" ( John 6:38 , Hebrews 10:7 Hebrews 10:9 ), as to man's redemption; so at the end of the verse, "the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand."
The Margin rightly makes the prophet in the name of Yahweh Himself to speak in this verse.
11 When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of what He has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.
12 So I will give Him a share among the mighty, and He will divide the prize with the strong, because He poured out His life(soul-nephesh) in death and He was counted with the sinners. He carried the sins of many. He intercedes for those who are lawless {sinners}.
IN DEATH-- Jesus died, just as we do. His soul DIED! The word here in Hebrew is nephesh, translated “soul” by the KJV. The same word used in Genesis chapter 1 “and man became a living soul-nephesh. The best translation for nephesh is a living being- and when speaking of death, the best translation is dead being, or as I translated this here “his life in death.” If not for the power of the FATHER and the resurrection, Christ would still be in the grave awaiting the resuurection of the dead. We see later that ONLY Christ, thus far, has been “born again,” or resurrected from the dead. All of the rest of mankind are still in their graves sleeping! See 1 Corinthians 15.
Isaiah 53 plainly speaks of the suffering Messiah – and only Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy- HE IS OUR LORD and SAVIOR.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 54
MESSIAH'S RULE:
1 Sing with joy, you childless women who never gave birth to children. Break into shouts of joy, you women who never had birth pains. "There will be more children of women who have been deserted than there are children of married women," says the LORD(Jesus).
Israel converted is compared to a wife ( Isaiah 54:5 , Isaiah 62:5 ) put away for unfaithfulness, but now forgiven and taken home again. The converted Gentiles are represented as a new progeny of the long-forsaken but now restored wife. The pre-eminence of the Hebrew Church as the mother Church of Christendom is the leading idea; the conversion of the Gentiles is mentioned only as part of her felicity [HORSLEY].
2 Enlarge your house; build an addition; spread out your home and spare no expense!
3 You will soon be bursting at the seams. Your children will take over other nations and live in their cities.
4 Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more,
5 Your husband is your Creator. His name is the LORD(Jesus) of angels. Your defender is the Holy One of Israel. He is called the God(Elohim/Theos) of the whole earth.
6 The LORD(Jesus) has called you as if you were a woman who was abandoned and in grief, a wife who married young and was rejected," says your God(Elohim/Theos).
7 For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back.
8 I hid my face from you for a moment in a burst of anger, but I will have compassion on you with everlasting kindness, says the LORD(Jesus) your Redeemer.
9 For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed: Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
11 O you afflicted, storm-ravaged city! I will rebuild your city with precious stones. I will reset your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will rebuild your towers with rubies, your gates with sparkling stones, and all your walls with precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the LORD(Jesus), and your children will have peace forever.
Quoted by the Saviour ( John 6:45 ), to prove that in order to come to Him, men must be "drawn" by the Father. So Jeremiah 31:34 , Micah 4:2 , 1 Corinthians 2:10 , Hebrews 8:10 , 10:16 , 1 John 2:20 .
14 You will live under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will fear you; you will live in peace. Terror{ism} will not come near you.
15 If any nation comes to fight you, it will not be because I sent them to punish you. Your enemies will be defeated - I am on your side!
16 Behold, I have created the blacksmith to fan the coals into flames and to produce useful weapons. I've also created destroyers to bring destruction.
17 No weapon that has been made to be used against you will succeed. You will have an answer for anyone who accuses you. This is the inheritance of the LORD(Jesus)'s servants. Their victory comes from me," declares the LORD(Jesus).
The Prophets:
Isaiah 55
1 Is anyone thirsty? Come to the water! Whoever has no money can come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk. You don't have to pay; its free!
2 Why spend your money on food that doesn't give you strength? Why buy food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for your life(nephesh)!
3 Open your ears, and come to me! Listen so that you may live! I will make an everlasting promise to you-- the blessings I promised to David.
4 I made him My witness to people, a leader and a commander.
5 You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos), the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.
6 Seek the LORD(Jesus) while he may be found. Call on Him while He is near.
Seek Him while He is to be found ( Isaiah 65:1 , Psalms 32:6 , Matthew 25:1-13 , John 7:34 , 8:21 , 2 Corinthians 6:2 , Hebrews 2:3 , Hebrews 3:13 Hebrews 3:15 ).
7 Let the people turn from their sinful deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD(Jesus) that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God(Elohim/Theos), for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways,"declares the LORD(Jesus).
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10 Rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.
11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
( Matthew 24:35 )
12 You will go out with joy and be led out in peace. The mountains and the hills will break into songs of joy in your presence, and all the trees will clap their hands.
13 Cypress trees will grow where thornbushes grew. Myrtle trees will grow where briars grew. This will be a reminder of the LORD(Jesus)'s name and an everlasting sign that will never be destroyed.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 56
THE SABBATH – FOR ALL PEOPLES:
1 Thus says the LORD(Jesus): Keep justice, and do what is right. My salvation is about to come. My righteousness is about to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does these things and the person who holds on to them. Blessed is the one who keeps the Sabbath Day of rest from becoming unholy and his hands from doing anything wrong.
This is the furure kingdom of Messiah and the Sabbath is in force!
3 Foreigners who have joined the LORD(Jesus) should not say, "The LORD(Jesus) will separate us from his people." Castrated(eunuch) men should not say, "We're only dead trees!"
4 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: For I say this to theose castrated (eunuchs) who keep my Sabbath days holy, who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me:
5 Inside my house and within my walls, I will give them something better than sons and daughters. I will give them a monument and a name. I will give them an everlasting name that will never be forgotten.
6 I will also bless the Gentiles who commit themselves to the LORD(Jesus) and serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who have accepted MY Covenant.
The Sabbath is for Gentiles too!
7 Then I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them happy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar, For My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
Matthew 21:13
8 The LORD(Jesus) GOD(Elohim/Theos), who gathers the scattered people of Israel, declares, “I will gather still others besides those I have already gathered."
9 All you animals in the field, all you animals in the forest, come and eat.
10 The watchmen are blind. All are ignorant. All of them are like dogs that are unable to bark. They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep.
11 These dogs have huge appetites. They are never full. They are the shepherds, but they don't understand. All of them have turned to go their own ways. Each one seeks his own gain.
12 "Come," they say. "We will get some wine and have a party. Let's all get drunk. Let this go on and on, and tomorrow will be even better."
SEE ISAIAH 58:3
The Prophets:
Isaiah 57
1 Righteous die, and no one cares. Loyal people are taken away, and no one understands. Righteous people are spared when evil comes.
2 When we die, everyone who has lived honestly will rest on his own grave(bed).
The dead rest in a grave, not in heaven
rest--the calm rest of their bodies in their graves (called "beds," 2 Chronicles 16:14 ; compare Isaiah 14:18 ; because they "sleep" in them, with the certainty of awakening at the resurrection, 1 Thessalonians 4:14 ) is the emblem of the eternal "rest" ( Hebrews 4:9 , Revelation 14:13 ). (Jamieson) honestly--This clause defines the character of those who at death "rest in their beds," namely, all who walk uprightly.
3 But you--come here, you children of witches, you children of adulterers and prostitutes!
4 Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? Children of sinners and liars!
5 Inflaming yourselves with gods(elohim/theos) under every green tree, you slaughter your children as human sacrifices down in the valleys, under overhanging rocks.
abortion
6 Your idols are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with drink offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Does all this make me happy?
7 You have committed adultery on the mountaintops by worshiping idols there, and so you have been unfaithful to me.
8 Behind closed doors, you have set up your idols and worship them instead of me. This is adultery, for you are loving these idols instead of loving me. You have climbed right into bed with these detestable things where you saw their nudity!
9 You've journeyed to the king with perfumed oils and put on plenty of perfume. You've sent your ambassadors far away and sent them down to the grave(Sheol).
10You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on.
11 Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you don't even remember me or think about me? Is it because I have not corrected you that you have no fear of me?
12 Now I will expose your so-called good deeds you consider so righteous. They will not help or save you.
13 When you cry for help, let your collection of idols save you. A wind will carry them all away. A breath will take them away. But whoever trusts Me will possess the land and inherit My Holy mountain.
14 It will be said: "Build a road! Build a road! Prepare the way! Remove every obstacle in the way of my people!"
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who is Eternal, and whose name is holy. This is what he says: I live in a high and holy place. But I am with those who are crushed and humble. I will renew the spirit of those who are humble and the courage of those who are crushed.
The pride and self-righteousness of the Jews were the stumbling block in the way of their acknowledging Christ. The contrition of Israel in the last days shall be attended with God's interposition in their behalf. So their self-humiliation, in Isaiah 66:2 Isaiah 66:5 Isaiah 66:10 , &c., precedes their final prosperity ( Zechariah 12:6 Zechariah 12:10-14 ); there will, probably, be a previous period of unbelief even after their return ( Zechariah 12:8 Zechariah 12:9 ). (Jamieson)
16 I will not accuse you forever. I will not be angry with you forever. Otherwise, the spirits, the lives of those I've made, would grow faint in My presence.
17 For I was angry because of their sinful greed, so I punished them, hid {from them}, and remained angry. They continued to sin.
18 I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them and comfort those who mourn.
19 I'll create praise on their lips: "Perfect peace to those both far and near." "I'll heal them," says the LORD(Jesus).
20 But the wicked are like the churning sea. It isn't quiet, and its water throws up mud and slime.
21 "There is no peace for the wicked," says my God(Elohim/Theos).
my God--The prophet, having God as his God, speaks in the person of Israel, prophetically regarded as having now appropriated God and His "peace" ( Isaiah 11:1-3 ), warning the impenitent that, while they continue so, they can have no peace.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 58
FALSE WORSHIP:
1 Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God(Elohim/Theos). They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God(Elohim/Theos).
IMPROPER FASTING:
3 “Why have we fasted if you are not aware of it? Why have we inflicted pain on ourselves if you don't pay attention? Don't you see that on the days you fast, you do what you want to do? You mistreat all your workers.”
4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
5 Is this the kind of fasting I have chosen? Should people fast for {only} a day? Is fasting just bowing your head like a cattail and making your bed from sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call fasting? Is this an acceptable day to the LORD(Jesus)?
6 No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn.
7 Share your food with the hungry, take the poor and homeless into your homes, and clothe them when you see them naked. Don't refuse to help your own family!
8 Then your light will break through like the dawn, and you will heal quickly. Your righteousness will go ahead of you, and the glory of the LORD(Jesus) will guard you from behind.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD(Jesus) shall answer you. You will cry for help, and He will say, "Here I Am!" Get rid of that load. Don't point your finger and say wicked things.
10 Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day.
11 The LORD(Jesus) will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
Good health is a blessing from obeying God
12 Your people will rebuild your towns and restore the foundations of past generations. Then you will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls and cities.
THE SABBATH:
13 If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD(Jesus) honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
14 The LORD(Jesus) will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD(Jesus) has spoken.
The sabbath Day belongs to God and mankind alike. It is not “just for Jews,” but for all who obey God. We are always to observe the Sabbath Day; Now and forever! God’s law is summed up in the Ten Commandments. They are our basic guide for living, showing us how to have a proper relationship with our Creator and our fellowman.
However, the most universally misunderstood and misapplied commandment is God's command to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). Many people view the Sabbath as a quaint relic of history, perhaps a nice idea at some time in the past but altogether impractical in today's busy world. Some think the Sabbath is Sunday and that spending an hour or two at church on Sunday morning fulfills the intent of the Sabbath commandment. Others think Jesus Christ did away with any specific day of rest, or the need to worship on a particular day, and that whatever time we choose to revere God is holy. How did Sunday become the primary day of rest and worship? Although the concept of rest has largely disappeared, most denominations continue to hold their worship services on Sunday. You can search throughout the Bible, but you will find no authority to alter the day of worship.
James Cardinal Gibbons, Catholic educator and archbishop of Baltimore in the late 1800s and early 1900s, was blunt about the change: "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify. The Catholic Church correctly teaches that our Lord and His Apostles inculcated certain important duties of religion which are not recorded by the inspired writers...We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of faith" (The Faith of Our Fathers, John Murphy Company, Baltimore, 1917, p. 89).
Did you grasp that? The writer admits that Sunday observance is nowhere authorized in the Bible and that the seventh day is the only day sanctified by the Scriptures. His justification for changing the day of rest and worship assumes that authority exists apart from the Bible to define the necessary truths and practices for salvation.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 59
SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD:
1 Listen, the LORD(Jesus) is not too weak to save you or his ear too deaf to hear you when you call.
2 But there is a problem – your sins have cut you off from God(Elohim/Theos). Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
The reason why Jehovah does not deliver His people, notwithstanding their religious services ( Isaiah 58:3 ), is not want of power on His part, but because of their sins ( Isaiah 59:1-8 ); Isaiah 59:9-15 contain their confession; Isaiah 59:16-21 , the consequent promise of the Messiah. Man has a sin problem. Our sins separate us from God. In Romans 3:23, we are told, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". There is not an accountable person living or who has ever lived (except our Lord), who can say that he has never sinned. We are all in need of salvation. I John 1:8 says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us". The easiest person to deceive is ourselves. When we rationalize away what God says, this is what we are doing. God says that man has a sin problem, but man says that he does not. Who is right and what are we doing to God when we say that we have no sin? Continuing our reading in I John 1:10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." God is always right when he tells us that we have all sinned.
3 Your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers are stained with sin. You speak lies, and you mutter wicked things.
4 No one cares about justice, and no one pleads his case truthfully. Their lawsuits are based on lies. They spend their time plotting evil deeds and then doing them.
5 They spend their time and energy spinning evil plans that end up in deadly actions.
6 They cheat and shortchange everyone. Nothing they do is productive; all their activity is filled with sin. Violence is their trademark.
7 Their feet run to do evil. They hurry to shed innocent blood. Their plans are evil. Ruin and destruction are on their highways.
8 They don't know the way of peace. There's no justice on their highways. They've made their paths crooked. Whoever walks on them will never know peace.
9 That is why justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn't reach us. We hope for light, but we walk in darkness. We hope for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We grope like blind men along a wall. Even at brightest noontime, we fall down as though it were dark. No wonder we are like corpses when compared to vigorous young men!
11 We all growl like bears. We coo like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none. We hope for salvation, but it's far from us.
12 For our sins are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 We have rebelled and denied the LORD(Jesus). We have turned away from our God(Elohim/Theos). We have spoken about oppression and revolt. We have conceived and uttered lies in our hearts.
14 Our courts oppose people who are honest, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth falls dead in the streets, and fairness has been outlawed.
15 Truth is missing. Those who turn away from evil make themselves victims. The LORD(Jesus) sees it, and he's angry because there's no justice.
16 He sees that there's no one to help. He's astounded that there's no one to intercede. So with his own power he wins a victory. His righteousness supports him.
God saw that only He could do the job.
17 He puts on righteousness like a coat of armor and a helmet of salvation on his head. He wears clothes of vengeance. He wraps himself with fury as a coat.
18 He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes in the coastlands{America}.
19 Then at last they will respect and glorify the name of the LORD(Jesus). Those in the east will fear his glory. He will come like a rushing stream. The Spirit(wind) of the LORD(Jesus) pushes him.
20 Then a Savior will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from rebellion, declares the LORD(Jesus).
21 The LORD(Jesus) says: This is my promise to them. My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I put in your mouth will not leave you. They will be with your children and your grandchildren permanently.
The covenant is with Christ, and with them only as united to Him ( Hebrews 2:13 ). Jehovah addresses Messiah the representative and ideal Israel. The literal and spiritual Israel are His seed, to whom the promise is to be fulfilled ( Psalms 22:30 ).
spirit . . . not depart . . . for ever--( Jeremiah 31:31-37 , Matthew 28:20 ). (Jamieson)
spirit . . . not depart . . . for ever--( Jeremiah 31:31-37 , Matthew 28:20 ). (Jamieson)
The Prophets:
Isaiah 60
THE MILLENNIUM:
1 Arise! Shine! Your light has come, and the glory of the LORD(Jesus) has dawned {and is shining brightly}.
2 For behold, darkness as black as night will cover all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD(Jesus) will shine over you.
3 The Gentile nations shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 Look up, Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.
5 Your eyes will shine radiantly, and your hearts will thrill with happiness, merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of the world.
6 Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. From Sheba they will bring gold and incense for the worship of the LORD(Jesus).
7 The flocks of Kedar{Saudi Arabia} will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. In that day I will make my house(Temple) glorious.
8 Who are these people that fly by like clouds, like doves to their nests?
9 Certainly, the coastlands wait with hope for me. The ships from Tarshish are the first to bring your children from far away. Their silver and their gold comes with them to honor the name of the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos), the Holy One of Israel, because he has honored you.
English and American ships from both England and America.
10 Foreigners will come to rebuild your cities. Kings and rulers will send you aid. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will have mercy on you through My grace.
11 Your gates will always be open. They will never be closed day or night so that people may bring you the wealth of nations, with their kings led as prisoners.
( Revelation 21:25 ). The gates are ever open to receive new offerings and converts ( Isaiah 26:2 , Acts 14:27 , Revelation 3:8 ). In time of peace the gates of a city are open: so, under the Prince of peace, there shall be no need of barring gates against invaders.
forces--riches. (Jamieson)
forces--riches. (Jamieson)
12 For the nations that refuse to be your allies will be destroyed.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, To beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I will make the place of My feet glorious.
14 The descendants of those who oppress you will bow in front of you. All who despise you will bow at your feet. They will call you the city of the LORD(Jesus), Zion, the city of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Though you were once despised, hated and rebuffed by everyone, you will be beautiful forever. You will be a joy to all generations, for I will make you so.
16 Powerful kings and mighty nations will bring the best of their goods to satisfy your every need. Then you will know that I am the LORD(Jesus), your Savior, the Mighty One of Jacob, your Defender.
Jesus, our LORD, Savior and the Mighty one of Israel!
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold, Instead of iron I will bring silver, Instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler.
18 No longer will you hear about violence in your land or desolation and destruction within your borders. You will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
19 The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.
The sun and moon, the brightest objects by day and night, shall be eclipsed by the surpassing glory of God manifesting Himself to thee ( Isaiah 30:26 , Zechariah 2:5 , Revelation 21:23 , 22:5 ).
20 Your sun will no longer go down, nor will your moon disappear. The LORD(Jesus) will be your everlasting light, and your days of sadness will be over.
Revelation 22:5
21 All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory.
22 The smallest of them will become a family. The weakest of them will become a mighty nation. At the right time I, the LORD(Jesus), will make it happen in quick time.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 61
THE MILLENNIUM:
1 The Spirit of the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) is upon Me, Because the LORD(Jesus) has anointed Me To preach good news{the gospel} to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable [Jubilee] year of the LORD(Jesus), And the day of vengeance of our God(Elohim/Theos); To comfort all who mourn,
acceptable year--the year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:9) on which "liberty was proclaimed to the captives" ( Isaiah 61:1 2 Corinthians 6:2 ). This implies that Christ comes on a year of Jubilees – either in His first coming, or the one to come!
3 He has sent me to provide for all those who grieve in the Church, to give them crowns instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of grief, and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness. They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, the Plantings of the LORD(Jesus), so that he might display his glory.
Zion= in this case “the Church” as we see in Revelation
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins. They will restore the places destroyed long ago. They will renew the ruined cities, the places destroyed generations ago.
5 Foreigners will come forward and become shepherds for your flocks, and children of foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called the priests of the LORD(Jesus), ministers of our God(Elohim/Theos). You will consume the wealth of the Gentiles. You will boast in their splendor.
We are now all priests, if we are Christians
7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and never ending joy.
8 For I, the LORD(Jesus), love justice. I hate robbery in place of burnt offerings. I will faithfully reward my people's work. I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
This is the NEW TESTAMENT! A NEW EVERLASTING COVENANT- That does not go into full effect UNTIL CHRIST RETURNS!
9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. Everyone who sees them will recognize that they are the descendants whom the LORD(Jesus) has blessed.
10 I will find joy in the LORD(Jesus). I will delight in my God(Elohim/Theos). He has dressed me in the clothes of salvation. He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness like a bridegroom with a priest's turban, like a bride with her jewels.
11 Like the ground that brings forth its crops and like a garden that makes the seed in it grow, so the Almighty LORD(Jesus) will make righteousness and praise spring up in front of all nations.
The Prophets:
Isaiah 62
The MILLENNIUM-The Restoration of Israel {USA and England}:
The MILLENNIUM-The Restoration of Israel {USA and England}:
1 for the Church's sake I will not remain silent. For Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until its righteousness shines like the dawn and its salvation burns brightly like a torch.
Zion = rendered The Church as in Revelation.
2 The nations will see your righteousness. All kings will see your glory. You will be given a new name that the LORD(Jesus) will announce.
Israel gets a new name – and so maybe do Christians! See Revelation 19:12
3 Then you will be a beautiful crown in the hand of the LORD(Jesus), a royal crown in the hand of your God(Elohim/Theos).
4 You will no longer be called forsaken, and your land will no longer be called Desolate. Your new name will be the City of God's(Hephzibah) Delight. The LORD(Jesus) delights in you and will marry you!
Hephzi-bah--( 2 Kings 21:1 ), the name of Hezekiah's wife, a type of Jerusalem, as Hezekiah was of Messiah ( Isaiah 32:1 ): "my delight is in her."
5 As a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will care for you. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God(Elohim/Theos) will rejoice over you.
6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem. they will pray to the LORD(Jesus), day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray.
7 And do not give Him any rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it an object of praise throughout the earth.
8 The LORD(Jesus) has sworn with his right hand and with his mighty arm, "I will never again let your enemies eat your grain, nor will foreigners drink the new wine which you made."
9 Those who harvest grain will eat it and praise the LORD(Jesus). Those who gather grapes will drink wine in my holy courtyards.
10 Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; Build up the highway! Clear away the stones! raise a flag for all the nations to see.
11 The LORD(Jesus) has proclaimed to the ends of the earth: "Tell my Church, 'Your Savior is coming. His reward is with him.”
12 They will be called The Holy People, Those Redeemed by the LORD(Jesus), and you will be called Called Out, a City Not Forsaken.
Called Out – Assembly = The Church
The Prophets:
Isaiah 63
THE MILLENNIUM:
1 Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is Glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?-- "I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."
This is the Messiah being talked about. Another rendition could be: “Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in the greatness of his strength?"It is I, the LORD, announcing your salvation! It is I, the LORD, who is mighty to save!"
2 Why are your clothes that red--like those who trample grapes in a winepress?
3 "I have trampled alone in the winepress. No one was with Me. In My anger I trampled on people. In My wrath I stomped on them. Their blood splattered My clothes so all My clothing has been stained.
Remember the hymn, “My eyes of seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, he is trampling down the vineyards....” it comes from this scene of Christ's return. The image was appropriate, as the country round Bozrah abounded in grapes. This final blow inflicted by Messiah and His armies ( Revelation 19:13-15 ) shall decide His claim to the kingdoms usurped by Satan, and by the "beast," to whom Satan delegates his power. It will be a day of judgment to the hostile Gentiles, as His first coming was a day of judgment to the unbelieving Jews.
4 I planned the day of vengeance. And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, but there was no help. I was astounded that there was no helper. So with My own power I won a victory. My anger supported Me.
Christ finds no one but Himself
6 I crushed the nations in my anger and made them stagger and fall to the ground.
7 I will tell of the LORD(Jesus)'s acts of mercy, I will praise the LORD(Jesus), because of everything that the LORD(Jesus) has done for us. He has done many good things for the nation of Israel because of his compassion and his unlimited mercy.
8 He said, "They are my people, children who will not lie to me." So He became their Savior.
Here is more proof that the Messiah was to be YAHWEH HIMSELF!
9 In all their suffering He also suffered, and He personally rescued them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.
10 But they rebelled and offended His Holy Spirit(ruwach). So He turned against them as their enemy; He fought against them.
ruwach means air, wind.
11 Then His people remembered Moses and the distant past. Where is the one who brought them out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the one who put His Holy Spirit in them?
12 Where is the One whose power divided the sea before them, when Moses lifted up his hand, establishing his reputation forever?
13 Where is the one who led them through the deep? As horses in the wilderness, they didn't stumble.
14 As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the LORD(Jesus) gave them rest. You led Your people, LORD(Jesus) and made an honored name for Yourself.
15 Look down and see from heaven, from Your Holy and beautiful dwelling. Where is Your determination and might? Where is the longing of Your heart and Your compassion? Don't hold back.
16 You are our Father. Even though Abraham doesn't know us and Israel doesn't pay attention to us, O LORD(Jesus), you are our Father. Your name is Our Redeemer from Everlasting.
17 O LORD(Jesus), why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? Return and help us, for we are your servants and your special possession.
18 Your holy people possessed the land for a little while. Our enemies have trampled on your holy place.
19 We have become like those whom you never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.
Isaiah 64
OUR CALL FOR CHRIST TO COME AGAIN:
1 Oh, that You would split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would quake at your presence.
2 As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the world terrified.
3 When you came down long ago{in the time of Moses}, you did awesome things beyond our highest expectations. Oh, how the mountains quaked!
4 For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God(Elohim/Theos) like you, who works for those who wait for him!
Paul ( 1 Corinthians 2:9 ) has for this, "nor have entered into the heart of man"; the virtual sense, sanctioned by his inspired authority; men might hear with the outward ear, but they could only by the Spirit "perceive" with the "heart" the spiritual significancy of God's acts, both those in relation to Israel, primarily referred to here, and those relating to the Gospel secondarily, which Paul refers to.
5 You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow the right ways. But we are not pure. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us. How can people like us be saved?
6 We've all become unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. All of us shrivel like leaves, and our sins carry us away like the wind.
7 No one calls on your name or tries to hold on to you. You have hidden your face from us. You have let us be ruined by our sins.
Free will.Why is there torment and crying in the world? God has allowed us to go our own way since the Garden of Eden, and we are reaping the rewards for our choices.
8 But now, LORD(Jesus), you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. We are the work of your hands.
9 Don't be too angry, LORD(Jesus). Don't remember our sins forever. Please look at us, we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities have become a desert. Your Church(Zion) has become a desert and Jerusalem, a wasteland.
11 Our holy and beautiful Temple, where our ancestors praised you has been burned down, and all the things of beauty destroyed.
12 Despite these things, LORD(Jesus), will you hold back? Will you be silent and make us suffer more than we can bear?
The Prophets:
Isaiah 65
Forward: In Isaiah 64:9 , their plea was, "we are all Thy people." In answer, God declares that others (Gentiles) would be taken into covenant with Him, while His ancient people would be rejected. The Jews were slow to believe this; hence Paul says ( Romans 10:20 ) that Isaiah was "very bold" in advancing so unpopular a sentiment; he implies what Paul states ( Romans 2:28 , Romans 9:6 Romans 9:7 , 11:1-31 ), that "they are not all (in opposition to the Jews' plea, Isaiah 64:9 ) Israel which are of Israel." God's reason for so severely dealing with Israel is not changeableness in Him, but sin in them ( Isaiah 65:2-7 ). Yet the whole nation shall not be destroyed, but only the wicked; a remnant shall be saved ( Isaiah 65:8-10 Isaiah 65:11-16 ). There shall be, finally, universal blessedness to Israel, such as they had prayed for ( Isaiah 65:17-25 ). (Jamieson)
THE MILLENNIUM: UNCLEAN FOOD PROHIBITED!
1 I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who weren't looking for Me. I said, "Here I AM! Here I AM!" To a nation that was not called by My name.
I was sought--Hebrew, "I have granted access unto Me to them," &c. (so Ezekiel 14:3 , "Should I be inquired of"; Ephesians 2:18 ). (Jamieson)
found-- Romans 10:20 renders this, "I was made manifest." As an instance of the sentiment in the clause, "I am sought," &c., see John 12:21 ; of the sentiment in this clause, Acts 9:5 . Compare as to the Gentile converts, Ephesians 2:12 Ephesians 2:13 .
2 I have stretched out my hands all day long to rebellious people. They chose the wrong pathway. They followed their own ways.
3 These people constantly and openly provoked me. They burn incense on the rooftops of their houses as well as burn incense upon altars of brick.
altars of brick--Hebrew, "bricks." God had commanded His altars to be of unhewn stone ( Exodus 20:25 ). This was in order to separate them, even in external respects, from idolaters; also, as all chiselling was forbidden, they could not inscribe superstitious symbols on them as the heathen did. Bricks were more easily so inscribed than stone; hence their use for the cuneiform inscriptions at Babylon, and also for idolatrous altars. Some, not so well, have supposed that the "bricks" here mean the flat brick-paved roofs of houses on which they sacrificed to the sun, &c. ( 2 Kings 23:12 , Jeremiah 19:13 ). (Jamieson)
PORK an abomination:
4 They sat among the graves and spent their nights in caves. They ate pork and in their pots made broth from unclean foods.
To eat it at all was contrary to God's law ( Leviticus 11:7 )
5 Yet they say to each other, 'Don't come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than thou!' They are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.
6 Look, my decree is written out in front of me: I will not stand silent; I will repay them in full! Yes, I will repay them –
7 I will repay you for your sins and for the sins of your ancestors, says the LORD(Jesus). They burnt incense on the mountains and slandered me on the hills, so I will be the first to pay them back in full.
8 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: When someone finds juice for new wine in a cluster of grapes, another person will say, "Don't destroy it, because there's a blessing in it." In the same way, I will do this for My servants sake: I will not destroy everything.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, And from Judah an heir of My mountains; For My elect's sake, they shall inherit it, And My servants shall dwell there.
Elect's sake: Matthew 24
10 For My people who have searched for Me, the plain of Sharon will again be filled with herds, and the valley of Achor will be a place to pasture cattle.
11 You have forsaken the LORD(Jesus) and forgotten My holy mountain. You have prepared a table for the {the gods of Fate and Destiny} who you worship.
holy mountain--Moriah, on which the temple was.
"Meni"; as goddess of fortune she was thought to number the fates of men. VITRINGA understands Gad to be the sun; Meni the moon, or Easter or Astarte ( 1 Kings 11:33 ).
12 Therefore, I will slay you by the sword. All of you will bow to be slaughtered. I called, but you didn't answer. I spoke, but you didn't listen. You did what I consider evil. You chose what I despise.
13 Therefore, this is what the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) says: My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. My servants will be glad, but you will be ashamed.
14 You will cry in sorrow and despair, while my servants sing for joy.
15 Your name will be a curse word among my people, For the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) will slay you, And call His servants by another name;
another name: Christians! the elect Church, gathered from Jews and Gentiles, called by "another name," Christians ( Acts 11:26 ).
16 So, whoever involkes a blessing will be blessed by the God(Elohim/Theos) of Truth. Whoever swears an oath- will swear by the God(Elohim/Theos) of Truth. Past troubles are forgotten. They are hidden from my eyes.
Sins are forgiven for Christains thru Christ!
17 Behold, I will create a new heaven and a new earth. Past things will not be remembered. They will not come to mind. Revelation 21:1
18 Be glad, and rejoice forever in my creation! I'm going to create {a new}Jerusalem to be a delight and its people to be a joy.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.
20 No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young!
Still sinners in the Millennium! (compare Revelation 20:7 Revelation 20:8 ) The longevity of men in the first age of the world shall be enjoyed again by those who are left and were not Christains.
21 They will build houses and live there. They will plant vineyards and eat fruit from them.
22 It will not be as in the past, when invaders took the homes and vineyards. For My people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains.
Those alive during the Millennium are not the saints (Christians) so they will be living out human lives, and will be able to die, or be changed into Spirit at the end of their lives.
23 They will not work in vain. They will never again give birth to children who die young, because they will be offspring blessed by the LORD(Jesus). The LORD(Jesus) will bless their descendants as well.
24 Before they call, I will answer. While they're still speaking, I will hear.
25 Wolves and lambs will feed together, lions will eat straw like oxen, and dust will be food for snakes. "They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain," says the LORD(Jesus).
Notes from Jamieson: The curse shall remain on the serpent [HORSLEY], ( Genesis 3:14 , Micah 7:17 ). "To lick the dust" is figurative of the utter and perpetual degradation of Satan and his emissaries ( Isaiah 49:23 , Psalms 72:9 ). Satan fell self-tempted; therefore no atonement was contrived for him, as there was for man, who fell by his temptation ( Jude 1:6 , John 8:44 ). From his peculiar connection with the earth and man, it has been conjectured that the exciting cause of his rebellion was God's declaration that human nature was to be raised into union with the Godhead; this was "the truth" concerning the person of the Son of God which "he abode not in"; it galled his pride that a lower race was to be raised to that which he had aspired to ( 1 Timothy 3:6 ). How exultingly he might say, when man fell through him, "God would raise manhood into union with Himself; I have brought it down below the beasts by sin!" At that very moment and spot he was told that the seed of the abhorred race, man, should bruise his head ( 1 John 3:8 ). He was raised up for this, to show forth God's glory ( Exodus 9:16 , Romans 9:17 ). In his unfallen state he may have been God's vicegerent over the earth and the animal kingdom before man: this will account for his assuming the form of a serpent ( Genesis 3:1 ). Man succeeded to that office ( Genesis 2:19 Genesis 2:20 ), but forfeited it by sin, whence Satan became "prince of this world"; Jesus Christ supplants the usurper, and as "Son of man" regains the lost inheritance ( Psalms 8:4-8 ). The steps in Satan's overthrow are these: he is cast out, first, from heaven ( Revelation 12:7-9 ) on earth; next, he is bound a thousand years ( Revelation 20:2 Revelation 20:3 ); finally, he is cast into the lake of fire for ever ( Revelation 20:10)
The Prophets:
Isaiah 66
THE MILLENNIUM:
1 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: Heaven is my throne. The earth is my footstool. Can you ever build a house or resting place for me?
2 For all these things My hand has made, And all these things exist," Says the LORD(Jesus). I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
3 But those who choose their own ways are just like those that kills a bull like someone who would kill a person. Whoever sacrifices a lamb is like someone who breaks a dog's neck. Whoever offers a grain sacrifice is like someone who [offers] pig's blood. Whoever burns incense is like someone who worships an idol. People have certainly chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in detestable things.
4 I will send problems against them – all the things that terrorized them. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned – before my very eyes – and chose to do what they know I despise.
5 Listen to the word of the LORD(Jesus). All who tremble at His word: Your relatives, who hate you and exclude you for my name's sake, say, "Let the LORD(Jesus) show his glory; then we will see your joy." But they will be put to shame.
6 The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the Temple! The voice of the LORD(Jesus) paying back his enemies as they deserve.
7 Before a woman goes into labor, she gives birth. Before she has labor pains, she delivers a child.
8 Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in one day? Can a nation be born in a moment? When the Church goes into labor, she also will give birth to her children.
9 “Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” asks the LORD(Jesus). “Do I cause a mother to deliver and then make her unable to have children?” asks your God(Elohim/Theos).
10 All who love Jerusalem, be happy and rejoice with her. All who mourn for her, be glad with her.
11 You will nurse and be satisfied from her comforting breasts. You will nurse to your heart's delight at her full breasts.
12 This is what the LORD(Jesus) says: I will offer you peace like a river and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream. You will nurse and be carried in Jerusalem's arms and cuddled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. You will be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. Vigorous health will be yours! Everyone will see the good hand of the LORD(Jesus)- but he will condemn his enemies.
15 See, the LORD(Jesus) is coming with fire and with his chariots like a tornado. He will pay them back with his burning anger and punish them with flames of fire.
16 The LORD(Jesus) will judge with fire, and he will judge all people with his sword. Many people will be killed by the LORD(Jesus).
PORK, RODENTS FORBIDDEN TO BE EATEN:
17 “People who 'purify' themselves in a sacred garden, feasting on pork and rats and other forbidden meats, will come to a terrible end," says the LORD(Jesus).
18 Because of their actions and their thoughts, I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They will come and see My glory.
THE GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED TO THE WORLD:
19 I will perform a sign among them. And I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations – to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal, Javan, and to the distant coastlands who have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will tell about my glory among the nations.
20 They will bring all your relatives from every nation like a grain offering to the LORD(Jesus). "They will come on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules and camels to my holy mountain, Jerusalem," declares the LORD(Jesus). They will come like the people of Israel who bring their grain offerings in clean dishes to the LORD(Jesus)'s house [Temple].
21 "I will make some of them priests and Levites," declares the LORD(Jesus).
22 "As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear," says the LORD(Jesus). “So your descendants and your name will also continue in my presence.”
New Months and Sabbaths:
23 “From one new month to the next and from one Sabbath to the next all people will come to worship Me," declares the LORD(Jesus).
24 Then they will go out and look at the corpses of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will not die. The fire that burns them will not go out. All humanity will be disgusted by them.
Sinners die- worms that feed on their dead bodies remain alive! This is not “roof” of immortal torment in hell!
END OF ISAIAH
