Passover | Wavesheaf | Pentecost |
Trumpets | Day of Atonement |
Tabernacles |
1-3 | 4-5 | 6 | 7 |
8-11 | 10 | 11 |
12-13 |
14-15 |
Wrath (16-19) |
Rescue (14, 20-22) |
Church |
Lamb |
Seals | Sealing |
Judgment | Remnant |
Legal |
Babylon |
Warning |
** The Day of the Lord ** |
Ezekiel |
Throne of God |
The Law |
Judgment in the temple |
Marked |
Warning |
 |
Millennium  |
Heaven |
Daniel |
The Beast |
Little Horn |
Sanctuary Cleansed |
King of the North |
Time of Trouble |
Heaven |
Isaiah |
- |
Temple Ruined |
Babylon |
Warning |
War |
Desolation |
Heaven |
Jeremiah |
- |
Babylon |
Warning |
War |
Desolation |
Heaven |
12 Tribes | 722 | Assyria takes 10 Tribes | 2 Tribes of Judah | 609 | Babylon | 539 | Medo-Persia |
Obadiah | Joel | Jonah | Amos | Hosea | Nahum | - | Daniel | - |
Elisha | - | Micah | - | Zephaniah | Habakkuk | - | Ezekiel | - | Zechariah | - |
- | Isaiah | Jeremiah | - | Haggai | - | Malachi |
Background
The prophecies of Isaiah address the events just before the Second Coming and during the millennium and the events immediately after.
This is the period known as "the Day of the Lord" (acharit hayamim).
Isaiah saw the capture of the ten northern tribes. He warns the last two tribes of Judah that the same fate awaits them when the king of Babylon emerges.
This first desolation of the remnant of Israel is a blueprint of the final desolation of the earth at the end of time.
His warning comes over 100 years before the destruction and it is a parallel of the preaching of Noah for 120 years before the flood and
of the last message of the three angels which has now been preached for over 160 years.
The Prophet
Isaiah was another prophet whom God used as a billboard for the sins of the people.
He walked around naked for three years.
The Naked Prophet.
At that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying,
"Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips and take your shoes off your feet". And he did so going naked and barefoot.
And the Lord said, "Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and a token against Egypt and Cush, so
the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt".
(Isaiah 20: 2-4)
Comparison: The Structure of Isaiah
Revelation | Isaiah | Discussion |
4-5 |
The throne of God | 6 | The throne of God | The majesty of God |
12-13 | Woman gives birth | 7 | The virgin birth | The birth and persecution of the church |
8-10 | The 3 woes | 28-33 | The six woes | Judgment |
17 | Babylon the Great |
14 | Satan, King of Babylon | The eighth head of Babylon |
16 | The Plagues | 24 | The curse | The curse covers the earth |
11, 18:1 | The Glory of God | 2 | God exalted | The Day of the Lord |
18 | Babylon falls | 25 | Babylon falls | Babylon falls |
19 | Second Coming | 11 | Jesus the righteous judge | The army of God comes |
20 | Millennium | 26 | The wicked and righteous dead | Millennium |
19-20 | The serpent is destroyed | 27 | The punishment of Leviathan | The final destruction of Satan and the wicked |
Chapter 1: The Destruction Of The Temple
Jewish tradition sees this chapter as a vision about the destruction of the temple, yet the word temple is never mentioned in the vision.
It appears to be a prophecy about the destruction of the Messiah.
"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up".
... But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
(John 2: 19, 21)
So, if one looks at it as a Messianic prophecy with the words of Jesus, one can see that it is about the destruction of the Messiah, the true temple of God.
- The Punishment of the Sinful Nation. The burden of our sins crushed Him as He was punished in our place.
The Sins of Israel.
Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him.
(Isaiah 1: 4)
- The Holy One of Israel. Jesus Christ was the Holy One of Israel.
- Burdened. He was weighed down with our sins, like the cross He carried until He fainted.
- Abandoned. The disciples abandoned Him.
- Despised. The people despised Him, especially the rulers.
- Beaten. Jesus was beaten for our transgression, charged with rebellion and insurrection
The Savage Beating.
Where will you be striken again, as you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint.
(Isaiah 1: 5)
- Sick Head. He had a crown of thorns on His head and the mental torture of rejection and ridicule.
- Faint Heart. He died of a broken heart which was pierced with a sword.
- Wounded. The beatings, nails and thorns bruised Him from head to feet with raw, open wounds.
From the sole of the foot to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged, nor softened with oil.
(Isaiah 1: 6)
- Desolation (Verse 7). Rome burned and destroyed the temple in 70 AD. Then in 135-136 AD Rome destroyed Jerusalem and cut down every tree in Israel and exiled the people.
Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, your fields - strangers are devouring them in your presence. It is desolation as overthrown by strangers.
(Isaiah 1: 7)
These are the words that prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple and the people.
Although the chapter does not mention the temple, it quotes the covenant curse from Leviticus 26: 27-46 that gives the details about what will be destroyed in the desolation.
- Few Survivors. Only the eleven disciples and a few women eventually returned and rebuilt the church.
Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, we would be like Gomorrah.
(Isaiah 1: 9)
God did not totally destroy them like Sodom, He left survivors to rebuild the final nation of Israel.
- No More Offerings (Verse 11). After the death of Christ as the one permanent sacrifice, these multiplied sacrifices over the past 4000 years have officially ceased.
Sacrifices Cease.
"What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?", says the Lord, "I have had enough of burnt offering of rams and the fat of fed cattle, and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats."
Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies - I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
(Isaiah 1: 11, 13)
- Trampled Courts.
When you come to appear before Me, who required of you this trampling of My courts.
(Isaiah 1: 12)
- Bribe (Verse 23). This indictment describes the unforgivable crime that was done at the crucifixion.
During Passover, the readings in the Torah for this week specifically addresses these crimes of bribery and false witnesses (Exodus 22: 24-23:19).
Although God knew that Jesus must die, He tried His best to warn the people not to do it and specifically, not to commit certain crimes during Passover.
Although they were blinded by the influence of the crowd, they were never without the law to guide them into righteous actions.
The Sin of the Leaders.
Your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan [fatherless], nor does the widow's plea come before them.
(Isaiah 1: 23)
- Rebellious Rulers. It was the high priest, sanhedrin, king and governor who all conspired or neglected to perform their duties so that they could kill an innocent man.
- Companion of Thieves. The priests obtained false testimony and bribed Judas who was a thief.
Judas the Thief.
Now he said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he ws a thief, and as he had the money box, he would pilfer what was put in it.
(John 12: 6)
- The Infamous Bribe. The priests bribed Judas with 30 pieces of silver.
- Defending the Fatherless. Jesus was known to be a fatherless Boy. In fact, He was taunted with the fact that He did not know who was His father because His mother was labelled a prostitute.
- The Widow's Plea. Apparently Mary must have pleaded for her Son. As the oldest Son, He was her support. But they refused to have pity on the poor widow.
- Remedy. They need to be washed clean by the Holy Spirit and practise justice.
When we show compassion for the helpless instead of excuses, then we would have practised justice.
Clean.
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil.
Justice for All.
Learn to do good. Seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
Reason with God.
Come now let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
Consent.
If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land.
(Isaiah 1: 16-19)
God needs your consent to cleanse you. But you must meet with Him and reason with Him so that you are sure that you want to submit to Him.
- Restoration (Verse 26). The hierarchy of Israel will return to a time before the kings.
It was not the will of God that Israel became a monarchy like the other nations. Asking for a king was as evil as asking to choose their own high priest. It cannot be done in a theocracy.
Now Israel has holy counselors and judges and priests who answer to one King of the universe.
The Perfect Theocracy.
Then I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning,
after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city.
(Isaiah 1: 26)
The leadership will return to the time of the judges when there were male and female rulers from all tribes. No single tribe had the mantle of leadership, it was the choice of the Holy Spirit.
Joel predicts that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on both genders.
- Sinners Destroyed (Verse 28-31). The wicked will be destroyed by an unquenchable fire.
But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, and those who forsake the Lord will come to an end.
Spark of Fire from Satan. The strongman will become tinder, his work also a spark. Thus they will burn together and there will be none to quench them.
(Isaiah 1: 28, 31)
Satan is the strong man whose evil work will be destroyed by a spark of fire that will be kindled from him.
The Fire in Satan.
... Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you And I have turned you to ashes on the earth, in the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified and you will cease to be forever.
(Ezekiel 28: 18)
Chapter 2: The Day Of Reckoning
On the day of reckoning, the righteous will seek to learn peace. But the sinner will become more wicked.
One could easily mistake this for the time of the Third Coming and the final judgment.
However, it speaks of a wonderful event just before the Second Coming when the earth is full of the light of the glory of God.
It is the same event recorded in Revelation 18.
- Glory: The Nations Seek YHWH.
The Latter Rain initiates a time of repentance as the Glory of God floods the earth.
The wicked forces have to suspend their plans in awe. At some point they will try to rally and regain their former status and the Great Persecution begins.
Remember that it was when Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead and the people were ready to crown Him as King of Israel, that the priests and the Sandedrin decided to kill Him.
Judas betrayed Him.
From the heights of popularity to defeat as a great sinner, Jesus was quickly forgotten and He was dead in one week.
The Mountain Of God Exalted Above The Hills.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Nations Learn The Laws Of YHWH. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.
(Isaiah 2: 2,3,5)
- The Mountain Of God.
This might seem like Zechriah 3 where the city of God lands on the Mount of Olives after the 1000 years, but the fact that people are being taught righteousness give us a clue.
Prior to the Latter Rain, the wicked will exalt themselves above God, they are the "hills".
This has happened formally since 2015, as the pope seeks to unite all religions in one faith, discarding the laws of God, have no difference between YHWH and Baal as they "unite in love".
- Nations Flow To The Light. The nations will go streaming to the evangelists to be taught.
- Learning The Laws Of God. The laws of God will be obeyed as they are learn the Bible.
- Judging The Nations (Verse 4). This is not the final "White Throne Judgment", this is the final "Yom Kippur Judgment" where the righteous are sealed and separated from the wicked as God examines the people of Earth.
- House of Jacob. They are technically from the house of Jacob who are becoming overcomers (the House of Israel).
For such last hour conversions, their intense trials will last from now to the Second Coming.
Our characters are formed here on this earth. So they may be the vast number of martyrs who will learn to be like Jesus on the cross as they refuse to react in ways they are accustomed to behaving.
Their gold must be tested in the crucible of the immense Satanic response of the last days.
- Plowshares Not Sword (Verse 4). The righteous will no longer kill or do violence.
Absolute Truth!
So in this period of glory for God through His church, victories will be won as people submit to learning and are obedient.
No more will people foolishly say "Truth is relative. Your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth".
Truth is absolute.
» Last Hour Conversions. All verses fit a great repentance before the Second Coming, except verse 4.
No More War.
And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples.
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
And nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.
(Isaiah 2: 4)
It seems to describe only the righteous after the millennium and after the new earth.
However, if all verses point to a great repentence then why not this?
It will explain some events. This is the final hour of judgment and it may occur on the last Yom Kippur.
On the day of the crucifixion, two violent sinners repented.
- The Thief On The Cross. One thief repented because he recognized the innocence of Jesus.
Recognizes Their Guilt.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
(Luke 23: 39-42)
As the wicked are murdering us they will mock saying, "Where is your God? Let Him save you!"
Mocking.
And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
(Mark 15: 29-32)
The compassionate will realize that we are righteous and that the architects of Babylon are from the forces of evil, always manipulating the masses.
- The Roman Centurion. He recognized Jesus as the Son of God.
Signs.
Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
(Matthew 27: 54)
Death Of A Martyr.
And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, If the vast majority will be saved while under the iron fist of the few and priviledged wicked then we must be living out in the open.
and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
(Mark 15: 39)
He heard Jesus ask for forgiveness, His voice cry out to God, saw an earthquake and that the veil of the temple was torn.
Perhaps, similar events are foretold in Revelation 11 about the time of the Latter Rain or the Second Coming.
Great Signs And Repentance.
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
(Revelation 11: 10-13)
At first mocking, signs will lead to repentance at the final hour.
- The Last Army On Earth. Suppose the last army on earth refuses to murder innocent people?
If the vast majority will be saved while under the iron fist of the few and priviledged wicked then we must be living out in the open.
Therefore this vast number are most who are working in hospitals, schools, army, government, telecommunications, computer systems, banking and many other private and civilian services.
In the final hour of the great persecution, just before the plagues begin, billions will be converted because of our testimony in death as the final martyrs.
This means that they are trapped in their jobs during the plagues. So what will they do?
- Disease And Famine (First Four Plagues). The murder of the martyrs cease because the wicked have a disaster on their hands.
A plague of disease and sores, blood in the seas and water and great heat and famine come in rapid succession (Revelation 16).
The righteous will be in hospitals and the army working as medical personel, law enforcement and engineers.
The plague must be contained and the starving people must be fed and given water.
If they seem to have a natural immunity because they do not break out in sores easily, they will bear the brunt of the dangerous missions to assist the sick.
- War (Sixth Plague). Blaming the righteous seems to be the only solution because the leaders are now on the hot seat after months of relentless disasters.
So they start a war to exterminate the righteous.
The war against the righteous fails in less than two weeks.
Revelation 17: 13-17 describes the failure of this war.
The Second Coming is in the seventh plagues.
However, there is a period of retribution after the war fails when they turn against the religious leaders - the pope.
Apparently, like the Middle Ages, they are the ones who convince the political leaders to wage war under the delusion that they have a connection to a "higher authority", either advanced aliens or one who evolved to be "God".
Mutiny.
These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
(Revelation 17: 13-17)
So the cause may be a combination of factors. We are protected by angels and there is mutiny among the ranks of the soldiers and the Second Coming ends all wars.
- Plowshare Not Swords (No More War).
In 1877 Chief Joseph resisted the U.S. government's forcible removal of his Nez Perce Indian tribe from the Oregon territory to a reservation in Idaho.
Like Chief Joseph, whose name means "Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights", the righteous soldiers will say
"From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever".
These soldiers are thunder, seeing the lofty Mount Zion to which they aspire, and they refuse to fight an unrighteous and useless war.
- Sins Of The People. The people lost their way through the efforts of these corrupting influences.
.
Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.
(Isaiah 2: 6-9)
- Eastern Influence (New Age, Buddhist, Hinu). The eastern religions are taking over due to the United Nations support since 1945.
- Unequally Yoked (Strangers). The righteous accept new philosophies.
- Soothsayers (Occult And Witchcraft).
- Money (Treasures, Silver And Gold). They are consumed with making wealth and adoring the wealthy and are unconcerned about their immoral baggage and influence.
- Idols (Reject YHWH). They are consumed by the latest fashion, technology, pronouncement of scientists, gurus, food and entertainment.
- Horses And Chariots (Cars). They love to show their wealth.
It has not changed since the days of Solomon when God warned him about multiplying wives, money, horses and returning to Egypt (Slavery of Sin).
Sin City, Fast Cars, Loose Women.
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
(Deuteronomy 17: 16-17)
» The Fall Of Babylon The Great.
All of this reversal of events in favor of YHWH happens as Babyon falls.
Babylon is the land of vices which will entrap those in slavery to sin.
Babylon the Great is just a nation of demons and occult activity and wicked shop keepers (merchants) whose sole purpose is to accumulate more wealth at the expense of the majority using every trick, lie, corruption and false flags.
The people recognize the bankruptcy of Babylon and actually use reason and common sense.
The tactic of God has been to give the people what their corrupt hearts desire until they recognize the folly of their pursuits and return to YHWH.
It has taken over 210 years, some may even think over 1500 years.
Great Power And Glory Of God.
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
The Sins Of Babylon.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Escape Babylon!
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
God Punishes Babylon (Plagues).
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
(Revelation 18: 1-7)
- Submission And Humility. Everybody will recognize YHWH and His word at some point.
The only question is why some will be later convinced to rebel and join the ranks of Lucifer.
Verse 10 shows that they will be lost, but verses 11-18 shows that their spurious reasonings will be abolished.
Fear Of The Almighty.
Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.
The High And Mighty.
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,
And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
(Isaiah 2: 10-18)
Pride will be their undoing.
- Lofty Mountains, Hills And Trees. Those privileged who think they are better and smarter.
- Nations. Nations who rule by the wealth, armies, advantage, power and influence.
- United Nations. A political conglomerate as corrupt as corporate conglomerates.
- Religious Leaders. The mislead others into lawlessness and unrighteousness.
- Politicians And Leaders. They use the opportunity to grab riches by peddling influence for bribes.
- Corporations. Media and communications, information brokers, information systems, medical, pharmaceutical, biotechnical, weapons manufacturers, energy companies, transportation, chemical manufacturers and farming industries all gaining monopolies.
- Scientists. They have the attention of the masses because of their intellect and disdain for God.
- High Towers And Fenced Walls. Those who think they are prepared and secure and untouchable because of their money, influence, homes, armies and security systems.
- Rich And Famous (New Money). Inventors, actors, musicians, entertainers and athletes.
- Rich (Old Wealth). Colonial nations, corporate leaders, bankers, money managers, land owners and generations of wealthy families.
- Idols. All the crutches they relied on will be eliminated. Their false science, wealth, media control, useless philosophies, mentors, human idols and false religions will be blown away in one glorious event.
- Shaking The Earth.
The shaking of the earth, seen by Haggai, begins with the last martyr and the last years when the plagues begin until the Second Coming.
Seventh Plague.
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Useless Wealth Hoarded By The Rich.
In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?
(Isaiah 2: 19-22)
It appears that certain groups of people are in more danger of being lost.
- The Wicked Hide.
The wicked will hide from the terror of that day.
Enter the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.
The proud look of man will be abased and the loftiness of man will be humbled and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.
(Isaiah 2: 10-11)
And they said to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand".
(Revelation 6: 16-17)
- The Rich. They hoarded wealth by fraud, greed and cheating.
We know that they bribe government officials, scientists, control coprorations and bankers all to maintain generations of wealth at the expense of the slavery of masses.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 19: 24) also Mark 10: 23-24
Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
(James 5: 1-6)
- Traitors (Ungrateful). Those who rejected such grace. These are former teachers, pastors, leaders in the church who turned away from God and turned away others.
They like Balaam and Esau sold their birthright for gain.
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned
(Hebrews 6: 4-6, 8)
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
(Jude 1: 11)
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
(Hebrews 2: 1-5)
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
(Hebrews 12: 16-17)
Chapter 7: Immanuel Is The Sign
Ahaz, king of Judah, asked for a sign that will show that the two armies which threatened him would be defeated.
We will assume that this prophecy was based on a local event even though we do not know who was the virgin.
We only know that the desolated land, filled with weeds, briars and thorns, came after the Assyrian captivity.
So God gave him a sign that will be fulfilled 750 years in the future, long after he is dead!
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
...
For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
(Isaiah 7: 14,16)
However, the disciples applied this statement to Jesus.
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means: "God with us".
(Matthew 1: 22-23)
But except for that single reference in Isaiah, the context seems to be unrelated to His birth and life.
So let us see.
God With Us: The First Coming
Read chapter seven before continuing.
- The Lord Himself. The Lord will not only create or engineer the sign, the Lord will be the sign.
- The Virgin Birth (Verse 14). Mary gave birth to Jesus.
- Two Kings Invade Israel. Just before the birth of Jesus, in 31 BC the two armies of Rome and Egypt battled for control.
Octavian and Rome was the king of the north, and Anthony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt were the kings of the south.
The Egyptian army was defeated at the battle of Actium.
So by the time Jesus was born, Egypt was no longer a threat. In fact, He fled to Egypt to save His life and spent a part of His young life there.
- Separating Good and Evil. At the crucifixion, He separated good from evil.
- Forsaken Land. Israel was forsaken in favor of the Christians because they rejected the Messiah.
- A Remnant. The remnant were the disciples.
» Heifer ("Cleansed from Death").
The symbolic significance of the red heifer is now important. This sacrifice is used to cleanse the people associated with death.
We now have the assurance that we will be raised from the dead.
» Two Sheep ("The Continual").
All this is accomplished by the sacrifice of Christ. Two sheep were sacrificed each day to represent the continual.
Jesus was the High Priest with a better sacrifice who provided continual intercession.
God With Us: The Second Coming
- The Lord Himself. The Lord will appear in person. He is the sign of the Son of man.
- The Virgin. The church, in the form of Israel, was the woman who gave birth to Jesus.
A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
And she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
And she gave birth to a son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
(Revelation 12: 5)
» Benjamin. If you have studied the lesson on the twelve tribes, you will learn that Benjamin is the son that the church gives birth to in the last days.
He has a name that is also applied to Christ when He returns to be "God with Us". It is "Son of the Right Hand".
If you compare the two prophecies it seems that Benjamin is the son of a virgin birth, or the son of a virtuous maiden. This is the transformation that the church will make during the persecution.
- Two Kings Invade Israel (Verse 16, 20). The end of time is associated with the battle between two kings, the king of the north and the king of the south. They fill Palestine with fear. (Daniel 11: 40-45)
» Northern Bees and Southern Flies. This also references the invasion of the kings from the north and south.
In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
They will come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes and on all the watering places.
(Isaiah 7: 18-19)
» Babylon is Hired. Babylon is the region beyond the Euphrates. Babylon the Great, or the United States will devastate the region to shame.
And in that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.
(Isaiah 7: 20)
» Two Beasts of Revelation. They persecute the church before its final birth and the Second Coming.
» Gog and Magog. Ultimately, after the final judgment, the earth will be cleared of these two kings.
» The Final Siege of Israel.
Zechariah 12 prophesies about the surrounding nations invading Israel at the end of time.
There may be two dominant powers organizing the international forces.
- Separating Good and Evil. At the Second Coming Jesus will know enough to be able to separate the good people from the evil because the judgment of the righteous has been completed.
- Forsaken Land. By the Second Coming, the two kings will be defeated and the land will become desolate. The earth will be filled with thorns and briars during the millennium.
- A Remnant. This is the righteous people.
and because of the abundance of milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.
(Isaiah 7: 22)
» Heifer (Verse 21). This is the time when the righteous dead will be raised and the living will no longer die.
» Two Sheep. The continual ministry of Christ. On the "Day of the Lord", there is a morning and evening sacrifice.
Remember that Christ died once for all people for all time. The morning sacrifice was his actual death during Passover.
The evening sacrifice may be His ministry with the blood on the global day of atonement.
» Curds and Honey (Verse 15, 22). The righteous people will eat in the land of milk and honey. This might also be a reference to the success of the Gospel in the last days.
Chapter 8-9: Israel: A Light To The Nations.
During this day of reckoning Israel becomes a light to the nations for the second time.
- The Shaking And The Sealing. God breaks the nations and calls His people.
Shaking.
Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered; and give ear all remote places of the earth.
Gird yourselves, yet be shattered.
Gird yourselves, yet be shattered.
Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal but it will not stand, For God is with us.
(Isaiah 8: 9-10)
Sealing. Bind up the testimony and seal the law among My disciples.
(Isaiah 8: 16)
- Spiritualism. In this time people will turn to the dark forces.
When they say to you, "consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter", should not a people consult their God?
Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?
(Isaiah 8: 19)
- The Testimony. In this madness the witnesses of God uphold His law, covenant and testimonies.
The message to the world must turn the eyes of men to the covenant because it seals them.
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word it is because they have no light.
(Isaiah 8: 20)
- Gloom And Darkness For The World. Spiritual blindness, apostasy and darkness controls the world at this time.
Then they will look to the earth, and behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.
(Isaiah 8: 22)
- Joy And Hope For The Church. For those who are in anguish by persecution it is a sign of hope because they recognize that their redemption is near.
But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish ...
(Isaiah 9: 1)
- Harvest. A light shines in the darkness so that the faithful in every nation can find their way home.
It is the time of the great harvest of souls that will be brought to the feast of tabernacles.
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.
You shall multiply the nation, You will increase their gladness. They will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest,
as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
(Isaiah 9: 2-3)
- The Son of Israel. It is during this time that Israel recognizes the Son that was born to them 2000 years ago.
For them it is as if He is just being born.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and this government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9: 6)
This is the day they recognize the Messiah during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as prophesied by Zechariah.
I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication,
so that they will look at Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son,
and they will weep bitterly over Him like bitter weeping over a firstborn.
(Zechariah 12: 10)
It is the mighty power of the Holy Spirit that finishes this work because the church of Laodicea fails.
... The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9: 7)
- False Prophets And Continued Apostasy.
The world is led astray by misguided civil and religious leadership.
So God removes the bad influence and leaders from His church.
Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them. Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
So the Lord cuts off head and tail from Israel, both palm branch and bulrush in a single day.
Bad Leaders.
The head is the elder and honorable man.
And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.
Babylon in Confusion.
For those who guide the people are leading them astray; and those who are guided by them are brought to confusion.
(Isaiah 9: 13-15)
Sixth Trumpet (The Time of Trouble).
In this trumpet, the army of Satan comes with a tail that stings after the four angels are released.
False prophets soothe the people as the winds of strife blow from the Euphrates.
one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.
(Revelation 9: 14, 19)
- Mercy Still Saves.
God brings a series of calamities and distress so that people will turn away from their earthly supports and turn to Him.
But after many judgments there is still no response to His calling but His arm of mercy is still stretched out, waiting for them.
While He is destroying the wicked, He is saving the righteous.
... in spite of all of this, His anger does not turn away and His Hand is still stretched out.
(Isaiah 9: 17, 21. 10: 4)
- Anger does not Turn Away. The wrath of God still falls on the wicked.
- Stretched out Arm. But He is still shielding the righteous.
- The Wrath of God. As the anger of God falls the wicked turn on each other as famine consumes the land.
By the fury of the Lord of hosts the land is burned up. And the people are like fuel for the fire; no man spares his brother.
They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry. And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied.
Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.
(Isaiah 9: 19-20)
Chapter 10-14: The Day Of The Lord.
The Destiny Of The Nations And The Exodus Of The Righteous.
The Second Exodus.
Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain,
from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
(Isaiah 11: 11-12)
According to Zechariah 12, at the end of time the nations will come to war against Israel and God will eventually fight against them.
But this victory appears to come only after the Latter Rain.
- Egypt. Civil war and anarchy in Egypt. But Egypt will turn to God.
So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; and they will each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor. City against city and kingdom against kingdom.
The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt.
Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day ...
The Lord will strike Egypt, striking but healing; so they will return to the Lord, and He will respond to them and will heal them.
(Isaiah 19: 2,17,21-22)
- Assyria (Syria). Syria will be defeated in Israel and the burden of Hezbollah will be removed.
The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand
to break Assyria in My Land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. (Isaiah 14: 24-25)
An enlargement of the role of Assyria in chapter 19 shows that Assyria is the church fleeing from the king of the north. They are conquered by Israel by becoming the righteous people of Israel when they symbolically reach the temple and embrace their inheritance.
- Cush (Ethiopia and Sudan). They will pay homage to God (Chapter 18).
- Medes (Iran). They will fight against Babylon and cause it to fall (chapter 13).
- Arabia. Chapter 21: 13-17. Arabia will flee from war and their destruction will take a year.
- Babylon, the land of Shinar (Iraq). The land of idolatry will fall.
- Philistia (Gaza). They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west ... (Isaiah 11: 14)
In Isaiah 14: 29-31, the region of Gaza will experience betrayal and famine
- Ammon, Edom and Moab (Jordan). ... They will plunder the sons of the east. They will possess Edom and Moab, and the sons of Ammon will be subject to them. (Isaiah 11: 14)
According to chapter 15-16, Jordan will have a refugee problem.
- Lebanon. Pride.
Behold the Lord, the God of Hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash. Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down and those who are lofty will be abased.
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One. (Isaiah 10: 33-34)
This verse precedes chapter 11. It indicates that Lebanon will fall just before God comes to Israel.
At least one other prophecy is about Lebanon just before the glory of God comes to Israel.
- Breaks the Cedars of Lebanon. This is the end of the third thunder, just before the latter rain when Israel finally recognizes the Messiah.
» Damascus and Tyre. The city of Tyre falls (chapter 23) and Damascus is in ruins (chapter 17).
Chapter 19: The Destiny Of Egypt, Syria And Israel.
This chapter is also a picture of the world at the end of time.
The church has fled the north and are now in the south waiting for the Second Coming.
The beast and his army have pursued them. Now the south is a mixture of the righteous and the wicked who are about to destroy them.
At this point, the seven last plagues will fall.
Second Coming.
Behold the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
(Isaiah 19: 1)
» The Journey of the Wicked (Verses 1-17).
The fortunes of Egypt mirror the fortunes of the wicked during the plagues.
- A State of Anarchy (verses 2). Confusion and fear cover the earth.
- Witchcraft and the Occult (verse 3).
This is the result of the first four plagues which fall on the people. Like Saul, knowing that God has rejected them, they will turn to the occult to find answers. The lying unclean spirits will deceive them.
Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy.
So they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead and to mediums and spiritists.
(Isaiah 19: 3)
- Satan (verse 4). This may be a prophecy of the appearance of Satan in the false Second Coming.
God gives the wicked the master they chose. He also gives Satan the people he nurtured.
Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master; And a mighty king will rule over them, declares the Lord God of hosts.
(Isaiah 19: 4)
- Waters Drying Up (verses 5-7). This is the sixth plague (Revelation 16: 12). It is a loss of all resources.
- Economic Collapse (verses 8-10). This is the economic collapse described in Revelation 18 as the merchants mourn over the fall of Babylon.
- Political Collapse (verses 11-15). This is the political collapse described in Revelation 17 and 18. It is the fifth plague that affects the throne of the beast.
- A Spirit of Distortion (A Strong Delusion). This is the same punishment as the strong delusion that is sent by God to people who refuse to hear the truth.
The Lord has mixed in her a spirit of distortion; They have led Egypt astray in all that it does, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
(Isaiah 19: 14)
This spirit is the work of the three unclean spirits who are like frogs. They come out like vomit to deceive the whole world (Revelation 16: 13).
This is like frogs coming out of the dried up Nile river.
- God Waves His Hand (verse 16). This act of God causes fear. It could be the same event in Luke.
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
(Luke 21: 25-26)
In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them.
(Isaiah 19: 16)
- The Purposes of God (verse 17). Revelation 17 also indicates that at the end God will fulfill His purpose by allowing them to unite.
For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.
(Revelation 17: 17)
And the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts which He is purposing against them.
(Isaiah 19: 17)
They will unite because they are afraid of the great evangelism and power of the people of God.
» The Journey of the Righteous (Verses 18-25).
In the last days, the journey of the righteous is depicted in many prophecies as an exodus on a highway from the king of the north all the way to the south, with the temple in the middle.
This same experience is depicted in these words of Isaiah and is explained in more detail in the temple of Ezekiel.
Assyria |
Northern Tribes |
Curses on Mount Ebal |
Highway |
Temple, priest |
Shechem |
Levites |
Israel (Inheritance) |
City |
Blessings on Mount Gerizim |
- | Shiloh |
Southern Tribes |
Egypt |
At the end of time the beast has an unholy union of three. Here, the righteous is also composed of three.
The Righteous Union of Three.
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians in Assyria and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth.
whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."
(Isaiah 19: 23-25)
- The Highway (The Road North to South). This is the north to south journey through the temple.
- A Holy People. Their experience is in this order as they escape corruption.
- Assyria (The Work of My Hands). As the church flees the king of the north, God recreates them. Therefore, they become "the work of His hands".
- Israel (My Inheritance). When they reach the temple in the middle, they learn about their inheritance from the Jews. The entire church now becomes Israel whom Christ will inherit.
- Egypt (My People). Next they flee south away from the beast who is corrupting the temple. The south becomes a place of refuge as it was for the baby Jesus, for the children of Israel and Joseph and now for the final church.
But God blesses them in the order that He experiences - Egypt, Assyria and Israel. They are His people whom He has separated from the wicked. He works to perfect and rescue them and then they become His inheritance.
- City of Destruction (Babylon the Great). While the church is in the south waiting for deliverance, Babylon and the earth will be destroyed.
In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking in the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.
(Isaiah 19: 18)
This is also reversal of the pattern of events at the Tower of Babel.
God will unite the languages and the people so that we will speak the language of His people.
But one of the cities will be destroyed like Babel.
- Altar and Pillar. The persecuted people are now the portable sanctuary. They set up the temple of God where they are waiting for God.
We set up a pillar like Moses and Joshua. Like Joshua we set a memorial of twelve stones for the twelve tribes, at the place where we will cross over into the Promised Land. Like Moses we set up a pillar of twelve stones at the base of the mountain where God will come to meet us.
In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord near its border.
(Isaiah 19: 19)
» Shiloh (Ark of the Covenant). In the south of the Mount of Blessing, we become like the original resting place of the Ark of the Covenant before there was a temple in Jerusalem.
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from beneath his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
(Genesis 29: 10)
- The Deliverer (Second Coming). While we are symbolically waiting in the south, the persecution intensifies until God delivers us when Christ comes.
It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.
(Isaiah 19: 20)
Chapter 11: Jesus Christ: The Righteous Judge
Isaiah predicts that the Messiah would be filled with the Spirit. This would manifest itself in certain gifts and characteristics.
He would be obedient because of His love for God and He would have wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
These characteristics make Him a righteous judge who judges by what He knows, not by the superficial things that He sees and hears.
The Son of David.
The shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding. The spirit of counsel and strength. The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
The Righteous Judge.
And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear.
But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth.
The Avenger.
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
The Armor of God.
Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt around His waist.
(Isaiah 11: 1-5)
This is Christ who comes with the armies of heaven on His white horse.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron,
and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
(Revelation 19: 14-15)
Heaven.
The next verses describe the peaceful kingdom in heaven.
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
and a little boy will lead them.
(Isaiah 11: 6)
Chapter 13: The Fall Of Babylon
This chapter is the inspiration for the prophecies of Jesus in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.
The prophecy was fulfilled in 539BC when the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon.
But, as the end of time approaches and God uses these prophecies as patterns of the last war, we see that the army is from the "far country" in heaven.
The Army of God.
I have commanded My consecrated ones. I have called My mighty warriors, My proudly exulting ones to execute My anger.
A sound of tumult on the mountains, like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together!
They are coming from a far country, from the farthest horizons, the Lord and His instruments of indignation, to destroy the whole land.
(Isaiah 13: 3-5)
- Fear. Therefore all hands will fall limp and every man's heart will melt. (Isaiah 13: 7)
- Astronomical Sign. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash their light. The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. (Isaiah 13: 10)
- Falling Stars and Earthquake. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger. (Isaiah 13: 13)
- Desolation for a Millennium. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. (Isaiah 13: 20)
Chapter 14: The Fall Of Satan (The King Of Babylon)
You take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say how the oppressor has ceased, and how fury has ceased! ...
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations!
But you said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God
... I will make myself like the Most High" ...
Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you saying "is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,
who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home?".
(Isaiah 14: 4, 12, 16-17)
This prophecy was fulfilled with the overthrow of Babylon. But it is a blueprint for the behavior of Babylon the Great at the end of Time.
In many small ways we are showing symptoms of this description.
Babylon Falls.
Now look, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.
And one said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground."
(Isaiah 21: 9)
Israel Restored.
Before Babylon falls, Israel's shame will be reversed and they will be chosen a second time.
Israel Chosen Again.
When the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
Slaves.
The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord as male servants and female servants, and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.
(Isaiah 14: 1)
Babylon the Great | The First Fall |
Symptom | Satan | United States | Modern Catholic Church | Medieval Church |
Made Himself like the Most High | Wanted the throne of God | The only superpower | Speaks for God and is like god on earth |
Overthrew Cities | Caused rebellion in heaven and earth | Communist Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya | Communist Russia | Holy Land crusades. Jerusalem, Muslim Cities, Protestant regions |
Weakened Nations | Caused the earth to sin | Economic policies. International boycotts | Uniting church and state to establish religious laws | Endless wars of religion, crusades and Inquisitions, Spanish Armadas, and land grabs |
Made the Earth a Wilderness | The earth was destroyed | Environmental policies. War damages | Economic policies of the governments, globalists and businesses that it supports and controls |
Did not allow prisoners to go home | Sinners cannot enter heaven | Patriot Act allows indefinite detention without trial or charges | The final persecution. The teachings on confession, forgiveness, purgatory and the intercession of priests. | Indefinite detention in dungeons, people hiding in caves and catacombs |
Since most of these are the actions of a military government, the role of the current church is difficult to prove unless the story is later revealed.
But we can see how they caused this behavior in the middle ages before their first fall.
Prophetically, they will rise to power one last time, hitch themselves to another powerful government and do the same thing again.
|
Chapter 47: Babylon The Queen Of The World
» Naked and Ridiculed.
Your nakedness will be uncovered, your shame also be exposed. I will take vengeance and will not spare a man.
Our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel.
Sit silently and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for you will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.
» Burdened the Elderly.
I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage and gave them into your hand.
You did not show mercy to them, on the aged you made your yoke very heavy.
» Widowed and Childless.
Yet you said, "I will be a queen forever". These things you did not consider nor remember the outcome of them.
Now hear this you sensual one, who dwells securely, who says in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me I will not sit as a widow, nor know loss of children".
But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day. Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure.
In spite of your many sorceries, in spite of the great power of your wealth.
(Isaiah 47: 3-9)
This chapter is echoed by the prophecy of Revelation 17 and 18.
Babylon is secure in her position that she is in control of all that is important.
She will live a life of luxury and she will never know sorrow.
» Widowed.
... for she says in her heart, "I sit a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning".
(Revelation 18: 7)
» Nakedness Uncovered.
And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her up with fire.
(Revelation 17: 16)
Chapter 24: The Results Of The Seven Last Plagues
Before the millennium, the final curse devastates and punishes the earth through the seven last plagues.
The earth is made desolate so that it becomes the place where Satan will be imprisoned.
He inherits the world that he coveted and the people that he deceived. He now walks among the rotting corpses and rattling bones of the dead.
» The Curse.
"Look, the Lord makes the earth empty, and makes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters the inhabitants in it abroad . . .
the earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word.
The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.
The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.
(Isaiah 24: 1, 3-6)
The curse consumes the earth because of the disobedience of the people.
They changed the laws of God and broke the covenant.
» The Cultural Revolution.
And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor.
(Isaiah 24: 2)
A political, social and economic upheaval occurs because of the plagues.
All fields are leveled as culture shock takes over every class and division.
- Social Revolution. As the righteous formally become priests of God there is a role reversal among the people as the righteous become the head and the wicked become the tail according to the curse (Deuteronomy 28: 43-46).
- Economic Revolution. Revelation 18 also describes the economic devastation as Babylon falls.
Lendors and creditors find themselves in the same trap that they have dug for the helpless borrowers.
- Desolation and Hopelessness. The wicked now find drunkenness, partying and merry making to be distasteful.
» No More Partying.
The gaiety of tambourines ceases, the noise of revelers stops, the gaiety of the harp ceases.
They do not drink wine with song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
The city of chaos is broken down; every house is shut up so that none may enter.
There is an outcry in the street concerning the wine. All joy turns to gloom. The gaiety of the earth is banished.
(Isaiah 24: 8-11)
Those who rejected God, scoffed at the righteous, thought that righteousness was "boring and unrealistic", who lived to conquer multiple sexual partners, party and get drunk all night find no more joy in riotuous living.
» The Broken Earth.
... for the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.
The earth is broken asunder, the earth is split through, the earth is shaken violently.
The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard and it totters like a shack, for its transgression is heavy upon it,
and it will fall, never to rise again.
(Isaiah 24: 18-20)
This time the windows of heaven are not open for rain, but for a massive asteroid bombardment which breaks up the surface of the earth
and splits it in two.
» The Wicked Dead and the Rebellious Angels.
So it will happen in that day, that the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high, and the kings of the earth on earth.
They will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon, and will be confined in prison; and after many days they will be punished.
(Isaiah 24: 21-22)
The wicked angels and the wicked humans will be punished on the earth.
The reference to "many days" is the one thousand years that the wicked dead are imprisoned in the land of the dead.
They will be punished, judged and executed after the thousand years. All of this punishment of angels and humans occurs on the earth.
Plagues | Second Coming | All Wicked Angels and Humans | Final Judgment |
Punish Wicked | Punish Hosts of Heaven | Punish Kings of the Earth | Prisoners in a Dungeon (Confined on Earth) | Punished on Earth |
Economic Collapse | Satan (Banished to the Earth) | Wicked Humans (Killed) | Millennium ("Many days") | Hell Fire |
Chapter 25: The Second Coming
The Second Coming completes the plan of salvation which was made before sin started.
Christ was killed before the creation of the world.
This probably means that He was promised or given up as the Lamb before sin began.
Since God's promises are a reality from the moment they are made, in the eyes of God, Jesus was killed at the moment He was offered up for us.
» The Plan of Salvation.
O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name.
For you have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
(Isaiah 25: 1)
Plans Made at the Creation.
... The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
(Revelation 13: 8)
» Babylon Falls.
For you have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin. A palace of strangers is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt.
(Isaiah 25: 2)
» The Meal in Heaven.
The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain.
(Isaiah 25: 6)
» The Atmospheric Heavens Disappear.
And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples;
even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
(Isaiah 25: 7)
The sky will roll away like a scroll at the Second Coming.
When the New Jerusalem descends it will be so high that it will go beyond the boundaries of the atmosphere.
We will not need them any more.
» Eternal Life.
He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth. For the Lord has spoken.
And it will be said in that day, "Look, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us,
This is the Lord for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation".
(Isaiah 25: 8-9)
Chapter 26: The Righteous And The Wicked
The Day of the Lord | New Earth |
Babylon Falls | Righteous Resurrected | Raptured | Wicked Killed | Millennium | Wicked Resurrected | Hell Fire |
Second Coming  | Righteous Reign in Heaven | Righteous Sprout and Reign on Earth  |
Destruction (The Sea Dries Up) | Leviathan Bound | Leviathan Loose | Wicked Trampled |
» Babylon Falls.
For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city. He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
(Isaiah 26: 5)
» The Dust of the Wicked.
The foot will trample it, the feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.
(Isaiah 26: 6)
The righteous will trample on the dust of the fallen city and the dust of the wicked.
» Righteous Nation.
Open the gates so that the righteous nation may enter, the one that remains faithful.
(Isaiah 26: 2)
This captures the reception of the righteous after they leave earth and cross over the Sea of Glass and arrive in heaven.
» The Wicked Dead.
At the Second Coming the wicked living will be killed and the wicked dead will remain dead.
All the wicked will be dead. This is described by Isaiah.
The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; therefore you have punished and destroyed them,
and you have wiped out all remembrance of them.
(Isaiah 26: 14)
» Israel Gives Birth to the Promised Son. Israel was in labor pains and seemed to give birth to nothing except wind.
We were pregnant, we writhed in labor, we gave birth as it seems only to wind. We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth, nor were inhabitants of the world born.
(Isaiah 26: 18)
At the crucifixion, Israel did not recognize that their Son was born. He was born dead on Passover.
They did not seem to accomplish the mighty Messianic deliverance for the world that they expected.
However, what was accomplished on Pentecost was the coming of the Holy Spirit in a rushing, mighty wind.
Israel had given birth to the Wind - the Holy Spirit.
The Wind is Born.
When the day of Pentecost (Shavu'ot) came, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
(Acts 2: 1-2)
» The Righteous Dead.
But the righteous dead will be raised to life and the Spirit will make them live.
Your dead will live. Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
(Isaiah 26: 19)
» Israel is Preserved.
The prophecy does double duty in describing the period before the Second and Third Coming.
The righteous nation of the living and resurrected saints are hidden in heaven for one thousand years before they return to earth.
During that time the indignation continues as the wicked dead litter the earth and Satan is confined here.
However, before the Second Coming, the physical nation of Israel is hidden or seemingly cut off until the "Times of the Gentiles" have been fulfilled and they have finished trampling the temple.
Come my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you. Hide for a little while until the indignation runs its course.
(Isaiah 26: 20)
For behold the Lord is about to come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. And the earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer cover her slain.
(Isaiah 26: 21)
Then the Lord comes out of His place at the Second and Third Coming. At the second, He punishes the wicked living and banishes Satan. At the third coming He judges and kills Satan and all the wicked who have ever lived.
Chapter 27: The Millennium Jail
During the millennium after the Second Coming, the dragon will be punished. He will be killed after the end of the millennium.
A Sword Punishes Leviathan.
In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, with his fierce and great and mighty sword,
even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
Isaiah 27: 1
Jesus rides to the earth on a white horse with an army and a sword to slay the wicked who worship Satan.
The Righteous Army.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He Who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the almighty.
(Revelation 19: 11, 15)
» The Incarceration of Satan (Leviathan).
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
(Revelation 20: 1-3)
He will be loose a little while because the wicked dead are resurrected and their judgment begins.
Rapture.
In that day the Lord will start His threshing from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered up one by one, O sons of Israel.
(Isaiah 27: 12)
The Gathering of Israel.
It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
(Isaiah 27: 13)
God will gather Israel from the land of the north and south and banish them to heaven with the east wind, which is the Second Coming of Christ from the east.
On the day of the resurrection, the sound of the trumpet will raise the righteous dead and they will reign with Christ in heaven for 1000 years.
Israel Grows.
In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, and they will fill the whole earth with fruit.
(Isaiah 27: 6)
After Christ returns to earth with the righteous, the wicked are destroyed forever and the new earth is recreated. Then Israel will possess the earth and reign with Christ forever.
» Children in the New Earth. After the millennium, the righteous people will populate the earth.
In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, and they will fill the whole earth with fruit.
(Isaiah 27: 6)
The Sins Of The Rebellious People
The people reject the counsel of God. They do not want to hear the instructions of God. Instead they rely on their own plans.
They even require their spiritual leaders to make them feel at ease with their decisions.
And their leaders obey and consult the dark side instead.
-
Disobedient People.
Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who execute a plan, but not Mine
and make an alliance but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin.
Who proceed down to Egypt without consulting Me, to take refuge in the safety of pharaoh
and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt.
(Isaiah 30: 1-2)
-
Seek False Prophets.
For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord.
Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; and to the prophets,
"You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.
Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel".
(Isaiah 30: 9-10)
-
Seek Occult Advice.
When they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spirits who whisper and mutter", should not a people consult their God?
Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?
(Isaiah 8: 19)
In the last days, Babylon the Great also becomes a center of demonic activity.
-
Unjust Laws and Predatory Behavior.
Woe to those who enact evil statutes, and to those who constantly record unjust decisions,
so as to deprive the needy of justice and rob the poor of my people of their rights, so that widows may be their spoil and that they may plunder the orphans.
Now what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the devastation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?
(Isaiah 10: 1-3)
In the last days, Babylon the Great robs the poor and helpless.
Chapter 28-33: The Six Woes
At this point, Isaiah sends a warning to Israel. He explains why there is so much devastation. There is a parallel between this warning and the conditions at the end of time when the last three woes are sent.
The last three woes are the last three trumpets. The last three plagues are the punishment on the evil from the last three trumpets.
- Drunken Ephraim. The children of God are drunk with wine.
Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is at the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!
(Isaiah 28: 1)
» The Drunken Nations.
In the end, Babylon the Great makes the world drunk with immorality.
It is significant that the tribe of Ephraim is singled out for this criticism.
In the lesson on the twelve tribes of Israel we demonstrate that the tribe of Ephraim is a symbol of the Christian portion of the church in the last days.
This church is corrupted with the doctrine of Babylon and God calls them to come out.
And he cried out with a mighty voice saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!" She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.
I heard another voice from heaven saying, "come out of her My people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues".
(Revelation 18: 2-4)
- Ancient Jerusalem is Besieged. The city of God is under attack.
Woe, O Ariel [Jerusalem], Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule.
I will bring distress to Ariel, and she will be a city of lamenting and mourning. And she will be like an Ariel to Me.
I will camp against you, encircling you, and I will set siegeworks against you, and I will raise up battle towers against you.
(Isaiah 29: 1-3)
» Modern Jerusalem is Besieged. Jerusalem will be besieged in the last days. It is during this siege that the second branch of the church discovers the Messiah.
- Secret Plans. The wicked make plans and hide their unrighteous works in the dark.
Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, "Who sees us?" or "Who knows us?"
(Isaiah 29: 15)
» The Theory of Evolution. The attitude of the sinners under this condemnation seem to reflect the results of the modern theories that deny the existence of God.
- Nobody Can See. "Who sees us?" ... "Who knows us"? (Isaiah 29: 15)
- No Intelligent Creator. ... what is made says to its maker "he did not make me ... he has no understanding". (Isaiah 29: 16)
- Scoffers and Scorners. ... the scorners will be finished ... (Isaiah 29: 20)
» The House of Jacob Returns. God also has secret plans to restore Israel that He will bring to light in the last days.
Israel will return to the Messiah. They will accept instruction and stop their scoffing and criticizing and will no longer deny their Messiah.
In contrast, their acceptance will cause the name of God to be sanctified or respected and made Holy throughout the world.
Therefore thus says the Lord who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
"Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale; but when he sees his children, the work of my hands in his midst they will sanctify My name; indeed they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in mind will know the truth, and those who criticize will accept instruction."
(Isaiah 29: 22-24)
- An Ancient Unholy Alliance. The rebellious people in Judah are warned against an Egyptian alliance, seeking the advice of false prophets and making alliances with spirits that are not from Him.
"Woe to the rebellious children", declares the LORD, "Who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin.
(Isaiah 30: 1)
» The Modern Alliance of Evil Spirits.
In the end, the people also join an unholy alliance with the dragon (Satan), the beast (Babylon the Great), and the false prophet (the apostate church).
This alliance is not of the Spirit of God, but it is glued together by an unclean spirit.
And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.
(Revelation 16: 13)
It is the spirit of Satan that gives life to this entity of death.
Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.
He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
(Revelation 9: 1-3)
The fifth trumpet introduces the same three powers. Their work is to bring darkness to the earth.
- Satan ("The Fallen Star"). Satan is the creature who was thrown out of heaven.
- The Beast ("Locusts"). This power of a government is the army that enforces its laws and will.
The bible consistently compares the devastation of an army to the behavior of locusts.
- The False Prophets ("Scorpions"). The power of the scorpion is in its tail (Revelation 9: 10), and so is the false prophet.
False Prophets. ... the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.
(Isaiah 9: 15)
The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongue because of pain,
and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.
(Revelation 16: 10-11)
» The Cure. The remedy for rebellion is repentance, trust and rest. Is this a Sabbath rest? Is this a prophecy that a similar apostasy and rebellion in the last days will include rebellion about the day of rest?
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength". But you are not willing.
(Isaiah 30: 15)
» The Day of the Lord. The day of the Lord began at the crucifixion and ends with the new creation at the Third Coming.
The following verses predict the experience of the church during this time, but it is more applicable to the time after the Second Coming.
Israel Returns to Yeshua.
Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.
(Isaiah 30: 20)
Jesus was the bread and the Holy Spirit was the water which Israel refused, so they became oppressive to Israel as the Gentiles ate the bread and water and turned on Israel.
But this prophecy predicts that after this, Jesus Christ will no longer be hidden and they will turn to Him.
Babylon the Great Falls.
On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
(Isaiah 30: 25)
On the day of the Lord, God will send His Holy Spirit to every place where His people are trapped, even to the lofty heights of Babylon the Great.
Healing.
The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.
(Isaiah 30: 26)
This describes the earth at the Third Coming when there will be no night. It will take 1000 years to heal the wounds.
This verse is simply saying that on the day God rescues and heals His people, the light in the heavens will change for them.
Second Coming.
Behold the name of the Lord comes from a remote place, burning is His anger and dense is His smoke. His lips are filled with indignation and His tongue is like a consuming fire.
(Isaiah 30: 27)
The remote place is heaven, from where God comes to reward the righteous and the wicked (Revelation 19).
The Shaking.
His breath is like an overflowing torrent, which reaches to the neck, to shake the nations back and forth in a sieve, and to put into the jaws of the peoples the bridle which leads to ruin.
(Isaiah 30: 28)
This is a description of the judgment of the wicked, who are led to the slaughter.
Deliverance.
You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, and gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
(Isaiah 30: 29)
Jewish tradition teaches that this verse is referring to a special song that Israel sang on the night before the exodus.
So on the night before we are raptured and lifted up to the heavenly Mount Zion, we will most likely sing a special song.
Judgment.
And the Lord will cause His voice of authority to be heard, and the descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger, and in the flame of a consuming fire in cloudburst, downpour and hailstones.
(Isaiah 30: 30)
At the third coming, we will be on Mount Zion in the New Jerusalem with God when He pronounces the results of the final judgment.
Acording to the judgment, His decisions are final and the wicked are destroyed.
There is hailstone at the Second Coming, but this is most likely the fire and brimstone of hell fire.
Hell Fire.
For Topeth has long been ready. Indeed it has been prepared for the king. He has made it deep and large, a pyre of fire with plenty of wood. The breath of the Lord like a torrent of brimstone sets it afire.
(Isaiah 30: 33)
Hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25: 41). Fire will come out of Satan to kindle this fire (Ezekiel 28: 18), but Isaiah teaches that the breath of the Lord will spark the flame.
- Seek Military Power. They make an alliance because of military strength, but it is useless. Help is not from those whose strength is their God.
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!
(Isaiah 31: 1)
» The Evil Army. In the end, the evil army of Babylon comes out of the Euphrates and terrorizes the earth.
Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.
The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
(Revelation 9: 13-16)
But God defeats this army by drying up the Euphrates and undermining their support.
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
(Revelation 16: 12)
- Final Judgment of the Destroyer. In the first five woes there is always a thread of hope if people return, but in this woe there is no hope for the destroyer.
Woe to you, O destroyer, while you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
(Isaiah 33: 1)
» Those Who Destroy the Earth. In the end, God destroys those who destroy the earth.
Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
(Revelation 11: 15-18)
The seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done".
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
(Revelation 16: 17, 19)
» Destroying the Destroyer.
It is the scope of the punishment of the destroyer in this chapter that allows us to say that although this prophecy was about Assyria, it is being used as a template of a similar apostasy and a similar response by God at the end of time.
After the final judgment, all the wicked and Satan will be destroyed by eternal fire. Only the righteous will exist in the fire.
Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?"
He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.
Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will behold a far-distant land.
Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation, a tent which will not be folded; Its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its cords be torn apart.
(Isaiah 33: 14-17, 20)
Chapter 54: The Barren And Rejected Wife
Israel is symbolized as the first wife who was reject and who had no children.
She will be reclaimed when she is old and she will have many children like the old Hebrew matriarchs who had children in their old age because of a miracle of God.
The Desolated Wife.
Shout for joy O barren one, you who have borne no child. Break forth in joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed. For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman, says the Lord.
Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. But you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
For your husband is your maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts, and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.
(Isaiah 54: 4)
Israel became a childless widow when she crucified her husband in her youth. She has been a disgraced widow for 2000 years, while the Christians became the bride.
Now in her old age, she finds that her husband is her creator and redeemer and God. Then she has many children in her old age.
These verses do not apply to Christians for this is not our experience.
The prophecy is that Israel will bring more people to God in the last days than the Christian church did in the last 2000 years.
Forsaken and Loved Again.
For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you.
In an outburst of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your redeemer.
(Isaiah 54: 7-8)
Israel was forsaken for a brief moment (2000 years), but she will be restored again and bear children and her shame of being barren and abandoned will be reversed.
Mistreated Wife.
If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you.
(Isaiah 54: 15)
Israel was a wife who was mistreated by others, but not at the request of her husband.
It was not God Who encouraged the nations to mistreat the Jews or made Hitler slaughter six million as a punishment for "killing Christ".
Their temporary banishment was their only punishment from God.
God says that He will punish all the nations who mistreated the Jews during this time.
So it is eerie that Europe suffered under the Nazis when Israel was being restored to her land in 1948.
Chapter 40-48: The Redeemer Of Israel
Much of this could be interpreted as being fulfilled at the first Coming and at the fall of Babylon, but there are several sections that are clearly fulfilled at the Second Coming and during the millennium.
Then there are those verses that seem to merge the two events.
So we look at these events as patterns of the future day of the Lord.
- Judgment. The nations are gathered for judgment.
A Time of Judgment. "Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, and let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment.
(Isaiah 41: 1)
- The Lord Stands Up. He is in the east, because this is where He will travel for the Second Coming.
» Jesus Stands Up. "Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him and subdues kings He makes them like dust with his sword, as the wind-driven chaff with his bow.
"He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been traversing with his feet.
"Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? 'I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last I am He.'"
The coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.
(Isaiah 41: 2-5)
A similar prophesy reports a time of great trouble when Michael stands up.
» Michael Stands Up.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
(Daniel 12: 1-2)
- Good News: Here is Your God.
At this time God sends good news that introduces them to their God.
Formerly I said to Zion, "Behold, here they are" and to Jerusalem, "I will give a messenger of good news."
But when I look, there is no one, and there is no counselor among them who, if I ask, can give an answer.
Behold, all of them are false; Their works are worthless, their molten images are wind and emptiness.
(Isaiah 41: 27-29)
But God cannot find a faithful messenger to deliver the good news,
- The Redeemer and Messenger of the Covenant.
Finding no faithful helper, God becomes His own messenger. Israel is introduced to their Messiah by someone whom God chooses who is filled with the Spirit of God.
"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
"He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.
"A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
"He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."
"I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations,
To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
(Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7)
After Israel is introduced to their Messiah, they become faithful messengers.
Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"
(Isaiah 40: 9)
- Israel is Accepted.
Israel learns that they have not been rejected. Their reproach has been removed.
The timing of these events appears to coincide with the time Michael stands up and the time of trouble begins.
The God of Israel. "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend,
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
The Redeemer of Israel. "For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'
"Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
(Isaiah 41: 8-10, 13-14)
» Jacob and Israel. Although God changed the name of Jacob to Israel, He still uses the two names frequently.
Both names refer to the people of God in different phases of their salvation.
- Jacob ("Supplanter"). The phase where Israel is rebellious. They are still rebellious.
- Israel ("Prince of God"). The phase where Israel is victorious. This is Christ and His followers.
» Israel is Comforted Twice.
We know that Israel rejected the Messiah and Jesus indicated that He will send another messenger and they will respond at that time.
Sending two messengers may have been prophesied in the command to give double comfort to Israel.
Comfort, O comfort my people says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for her sins.
(Isaiah 40: 1-2)
- John the Baptist. At His first coming they beheaded the messenger and crucified the Lord who came with the message of comfort and good news.
- The Future Messenger. Before the Second Coming, they will accept the messenger of the covenant.
The message to Israel at the end of time is to be comforted. The last 2000 years were the will of God.
You appeared to be cut off and discarded for a reason, but now at the end of time that reason will be seen as a part of a brilliant strategy to defeat Satan.
You should have no guilt for the death of the Messiah. Your ancestors did that.
Yet God asked them to do it! And He blinded them so that they could not see what they were doing. Only the handful of leaders who knew the truth are responsible.
During the past 2000 years, the enmity towards the Messiah that your forefathers taught you was also part of the plan of God.
This plan preserved the ancient laws and customs and the people because your oppressors treated you and the laws as irrelevant and accursed.
Satan's warfare against you as a nation would have been much worse after the Messiah returned to heaven if you has remained faithful.
It gave the Gentiles a chance to accept Yeshua (Jesus Christ) instead of rejecting Him because they hated you.
Now it is time to reclaim your destiny as a holy nation of priests, not just a holy nation with a tribe of priests.
You are meant to be a light to the Gentiles, not only through the Messiah, but by the actions of the final generations of the genetic children of Israel.
You will lead the Christians into obedience to the laws of God by demonstrating their importance.
They are also destined to be included in this holy nations of priests.
In the final assault on the strongholds of Satan, but of you will be united and equal in the eyes of God as the one global nation that is also named Israel.
No one will be more important than the other. No group needs to be ashamed any longer.
Instead we can marvel at the brilliant strategy. God defeated Satan while He was helpless and dead.
God is also defeating Satan with a nation that is hated.
- Angry Nations.
The timing of these events appear to coincide with the time Michael stands up and the time of trouble begins (Daniel 12: 1).
It happens at a time when the nations are angry with Israel.
Angry Nations. "Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
"You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
Israel Makes Trouble. "Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, and will make the hills like chaff.
"You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, and the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the LORD, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
(Isaiah 41: 11-12, 15-16)
Isaiah also shows that the cup of wrath (reeling) that is taken from Israel will be passed to the nations.
Israel Has Drained The Cup Of Wrath.
Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
You who have drunk from the LORD'S hand the cup of His anger;
The chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs.
(Isaiah 51: 17)
The Cup Is Given To Her Enemies.
Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted, Who are drunk, but not with wine:
Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God Who contends for His people, "Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, the chalice of My anger; You will never drink it again.
I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, Who have said to you, 'Lie down that we may walk over you.'
You have even made your back like the ground And like the street for those who walk over it.
(Isaiah 51: 21-23)
This same event is prophesied in Zechariah 12. The last cup of wrath begins with the struggle over Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Is A Source Of International Wrath.
Look, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all peoples around;
and when the siege is against Jerusalem it will also be against Judah.
It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples;
all who lift it will be severely injured.
And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.
In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves ...
And in that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Israel.
(Zechariah 12: 2-3, 6,9)
» The Fall Of Babylon The Great.
Eventually, the Antichrist will emerge as the head of Jerusalem as a religious leader (Daniel 11: 45).
It was ancient Persia who defeated Babylon. Isaiah prophesies here that Israel will defeat Babylon.
At the fall of Babylon the Great, Israel is God's weapon of war at the end of time.
Israel Defeats Babylon.
He says, "You are My [war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I shatter nations, and with you I destroy kingdoms."
(Jeremiah 51: 20)
Chapter 56-60: The Last Generation
God sends a message to the last generation just before He comes.
The message to the righteous is to remember the covenant and keep the Sabbath.
The message to the wicked is a list of behaviors that God condemns.
Isaiah blames the pastors for the ignorance among the people.
Some might argue that the context of this prophecy is restricted to the return from Babylon, but the context is more global.
Isaiah 60 gives this message to the people who will populate the new earth.
The Righteous People Keep The Sabbath
God is Coming.
Thus says the Lord, "preserve justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed."
Keep the Sabbath.
How blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it, who keeps from profaning the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.
(Isaiah 56: 1-2)
This message is to everyone, including the foreigner and the eunuch. It is not for Israel only.
The Eunuch. For thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant,
to them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
The Foreigner. Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him and to love the name of the Lord,
to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant.
Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar.
(Isaiah 56: 4-7)
It seems that the issue of the Sabbath will be a test of faithfulness to the covenant at the end of time.
Global Israel.
... For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.
The Lord God who gathers the dispersed of Israel declares, "Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered".
(Isaiah 56: 7-8)
Here we have a promise that the house of Israel will be made up of both Jews and Gentiles.
We also have a time table. After He gathers the dispersed of Israel, He will gather the other nations to Israel.
The Physical Gathering.
We saw the physical gathering of Israel after the state was created in 1945 and after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 we saw Jews coming from Ethiopia and out of the former communist country.
The Spiritual Gathering.
At some time after this sign He will gather the rest of the nations into His house.
But only those Jews and foreigners who obey Him and keep the covenant will remain in His house.
The Wicked Pastors And People
God also has a complaint about His pastors which is similar to the sins of Laodicea.
Imagine having a watchman who is blind and loves to sleep and a guard dog who cannot bark!
This is the condemnation for His pastors.
As watchmen, they are totally incompetent. They are blind, sleeping and unable to make a sound to raise an alarm.
They have become this way because they are too greedy and too busy taking care of their own interests.
And they corrupt the people by making them drunk. Every day is a wild party for them.
Useless as Watchmen. His watchmen are blind, all of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark. Dreamers lying down who love to sleep.
Greedy Pigs (Prosperity Ministers). And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding. They have all turned to their own way. Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.
Drunks. Come, they say, let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink. And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.
(Isaiah 56: 10-12)
The Leaders Corrupted The Nations With Wine.
Here is a condemnation of the leaders of the church. They corrupted the nations with wine and all of them have fallen because they are staggering drunks who cannot stay awake or keep their clothes on.
... fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great ...
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.
(Revelation 18: 2-3)
Here we have a picture of the church, buying wine from the merchants with which she corrupts the people and the leaders.
Every day she has a party and she encourages much drinking.
Because she has such an appetite for the wine of the world, the merchants become rich.
Therefore she is unable to fulfill her role as the watchman and she will fall just like Babylon fell when all her guards were drunk.
The People Are Blind And Naked.
Here is the warning to the final generation who think that they are rich and secure.
Watch and Be Ready.
Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing",
and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself,
and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
(Revelation 3: 17-18)
Wake Up! Get Dressed. Look, I am coming as a thief, blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk around naked and men will not see his shame.
(Revelation 16: 15)
The Suffering Messiah
Chapter 52-53: The Death Of Jesus Christ
Lord Behind |
Holy Vessels Of The Lord |
Slow Exodus of Israel |
 |
Arm Stretched Out |
Lord Before |
Pillar of Fire |
Sanctuary Parts Transported |
Sanctuary Torn Down |
Pillar of Clouds |
|
The Exodus Of Israel.
The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of the Lord.
Depart, depart, go out from there, touch nothing unclean. Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord,
But you will not go out in haste, nor will you go out as fugitives; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
(Isaiah 52: 10-12)
This action of God is being compared to the exodus of the holy vessels of the disassembled sanctuary out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.
In that journey the Lord went before and behind in a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud.
The Ark of the Covenant also went before them along with the angel of the Lord.
- Arms Bared and Stretched Out. He lifted up His arms on the cross the same way Moses lifted up his arm to part the Red Sea. Jesus parted the sea of death that was overwhelming us and took us out of the flood and out of the miry clay and brought us to Him on dry land.
- Vessels Of The Lord. We are the holy vessels of the Lord that are being transported to the Promised Land.
This prophecy is a reference to the law about transporting the holy vessels when the sanctuary has been torn down for transportation.
- No Fugitives. At the exodus from Egypt they went out in haste as fugitives. This time the exodus will not be in haste. The exodus has been going on slowly for 2000 years and we will emerge as victorious priests and kings, not as fugitives.
- The Lord Goes Before. Jesus Christ began this final exodus at the crucifixion.
- The Lord Goes Behind. Jesus Christ completes the exodus at the Second Coming.
This prophecy may also show that at the end of time, the Messiah will be recognized by the nations and while turning to Him in obedience, they will be ready for the end of the exodus.
Now, we are wandering in circles like the Hebrews wandered around mount Seir for forty years before they proceeded to the Promised Land.
The Spectacle That Was The Suffering Messiah.
- Lifted Up High (On A Cross). This prophecy not only indicates that He will be greatly honored, it also indicated that in submitting to the shame of being lifted up and hung high on a cross, He had accomplished a task that is worthy of the greatest honor.
Lifted Up.
Behold My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
(Isaiah 52: 13)
- Astonishing Appearance.
Marred Appearance.
Just as many were astonished at you My people, so His appearance will be marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.
(Isaiah 52: 14)
- Sprinkle Nations. In Exodus 24: 7-8 Moses sprinkled the blood of the covenant on the people.
Here, Isaiah prophesies that the blood of the covenant will be sprinkled on all the nations.
Nations Sprinkled.
Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him. For what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand.
(Isaiah 52: 15)
- Kings See And Understand.
Leaders and kings saw Him and condemned Him during the trials. In fact, Pilate knew that He was innocent and his wife warned him that Jesus as innocent.
At the end of time even the leaders of the world will be forced to look at this question of the claims of Jesus Christ again.
All the nations of the world and the Jews will be confronted with the sprinkled blood of Jesus Christ and everyone will decide.
The Response To The Suffering Messiah.
- Great Unbelief. Although the Lord bared His arms to all nations, yet none believed Him.
An Ordinary Man.
Who has believed our message? And to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground.
He had no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him.
(Isaiah 53: 1-2)
- Rejected. He was forsaken because we rejected His personal appearance.
Depressed and Marginalized.
He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
(Isaiah 53: 3)
- The Sin Bearer. He carried the burden of our sins to the cross where He was crushed and mutilated.
Death by Crucifixion.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried.
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him striken, smitten of God and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.
The chastising for our well being fell on Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
(Isaiah 53: 4-6)
- Carries Our Iniquities.
The Lamb of God.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth.
Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
An Unfair Trial.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away. And as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living
for the transgressions of My people, to whom the stroke was due?
The Grave.
His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
(Isaiah 53: 7-9)
- Guilt Offering. This task was the will of God.
The Goat of God.
But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief. If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pasture of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
As a result of the anguish of His soul He will see it and be satisfied.
Judges by Knowledge.
By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many as He will bear their iniquities.
(Isaiah 53: 10-11)
- Intercessor and Substitute. He will be greatly rewarded for His kindness and sacrifice.
Our Substitute and Intercessor.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong.
Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors.
Yet He Himself bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53: 12)
Chapter 49: The Response Of The Jews To Christ
This is another prophecy about the return of the Jews at the end of time.
Isaiah teaches that Christ would be born to reconcile the Jews to God. But they will reject Him and His message will go to the Gentiles.
Then, at the end children would return to Him through the efforts of the Gentiles who respond to the leading of God.
- Jesus Called. God called Jesus before His birth to be the Father of Israel.
Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, you people, from far; The LORD has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother has he made mention of my name.
And he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand has he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver he has hid me;
And said unto me, You are my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
(Isaiah 49: 1-3)
- Jesus Rejected. He labored for 3.5 years but He was rejected by the people and left alone. His efforts seemed like a waste. But He left the results of His work to God.
Wasted Life.
Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.
(Isaiah 49: 4)
Although He was hated, there will be a reversal of attitude in the future because God accepted Him.
Hated.
Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose you.
(Isaiah 49: 7)
So He would be the only faithful Jew. The children out of Him would be the new Israel under the new covenant.
One Faithful Jew.
And now, says the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
And he said, It is a light thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel:
Sent to the Gentiles. I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be My salvation unto the end of the earth.
(Isaiah 49: 5-6)
These verses make the entire prophecy global. It is not a prophecy about the call of Isaiah. It is about the Messiah who will be a light to the Gentiles.
He did not succeed in gathering Israel at that time so His message went successfully to the Gentiles.
- Success at an Acceptable Time. However, there will come a time when God can fulfill the Covenant and the Plan of Salvation will be successful and the desolation of Israel will end.
Prince of the Covenant.
Thus says the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you: and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.
(Isaiah 49: 8)
The "desolate heritages" that He will inherit are the Jews who deserted Him and exiled Him.
» Jesus is Preserved. He will be preserved for this event so that He gets the credit. This is not teaching that Christ will appear to teach the Jews before the Second Coming, or that He is hiding somewhere like the hidden imam.
Rather, signs of His claim to be Messiah are being preserved by the Jews themselves in their religious customs.
When the Gentiles lift up the standards by becoming the Messengers of the Covenant, these prophecies in Moses, Psalms and other prophets will convince the Jews.
Success.
That you may say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that has mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD has comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
(Isaiah 49: 9-13)
Afflicted Israel shall be comforted by their God when He gathers them again.
They come from the north, west and east. They probably do not come from the south because other prophecies show them fleeing from north to south.
» The Land of Sinnim. They will even come from China or from the east.
- Forsaken Zion. So far, the prophecy might be about the spiritual house of Israel at the end of time.
But amidst all this success, a group from Zion seems to believe that they have been forgotten.
Zion.
But Zion said, the LORD has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget you.
Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.
(Isaiah 49: 14-16)
Zion is gathered when their destroyers leave.
Gathering His Children.
Your children shall make haste; your destroyers and they that made you waste shall go forth of you.
Lift up your eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live, says the LORD, you shall surely clothe yourself with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on you, as a bride does.
(Isaiah 49: 17-18)
The prophecy in Zechariah 12 explains this event better. It is after the nations surround Israel and begin to destroy her that God fights for them and sends the Holy Spirit to help them see their Messiah.
They were not forgotten.
- Children Replaced. Although He lost some children, they will be replaced by a great nation who are too large to fill the earth, which became the "land of His destruction" when He was crucified.
Many Children.
For your waste and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed you up shall be far away.
(Isaiah 49: 19)
Replacement Children.
The children which you shall have, after you have lost the other, shall say again in your ears, the place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
(Isaiah 49: 20)
The question is, from where did these children come? His children were lost, He was rejected and left alone.
He was "wandering to and fro" through the Gentile church which was scattered.
Hidden Children.
Then shall you say in your heart, who has begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
(Isaiah 49: 21)
» Raising the Banner of Christ. They return because of an act of God. The faithful Gentiles raise the banner of God. When the church shows the Jews how the covenant reveals Christ they will return. When Christ is lifted up like a banner, all men will be drawn to Him.
Gentiles.
Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up My hand to the Gentiles, and set up My standard to the people: and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
(Isaiah 49: 22)
- Reward. Christ waited for God and His efforts were rewarded at the right time.
And kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: they shall bow down to you with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
(Isaiah 49: 23)
Chapter 35, 57-61 and 62: The Year Of The First Coming
- |
The Day of the Lord |
Favorable Year | Day of Vengeance | Mount of Olives |
Ministry | Day of Atonement | Children | Desolation | Promised Land |
 |
3½ Years |
 |
2000+ Years |
 |
Seven Last Plagues |
 |
Millennium |
 |
New Jerusalem |
Liberty |
Rebuild |
Remove Stones |
New Name |
Life |
Crown |
Wedding |
Salvation |
Proclamation to the End of the World |
Recompense |
Reward |
The Redeemed |
First Coming |
Rebuild Ancient Ruins and Plant the Desert Again |
Second Coming |
Third Coming |
Labor Pains |
Gives Birth to the Wind (Holy Spirit) |
Hidden During the Indignation |
Enemies Punished |
Jesus stood up in the temple and read from a portion of Isaiah 61: 1-2, declaring that it was fulfilled that day.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord ...
(Isaiah 61: 1-2)
Miracles. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert (Arabah).
(Isaiah 35: 5-6)
- The Acceptable Year (The First Coming).
After He was tempted in the desert, Jesus began His ministry the following Sabbath with this declaration that Isaiah was fulfilled.
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.
And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
And He began to say to them, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
(Luke 4: 16-21)
» Former Rain.
Before the Holy Spirit poured out His gifts at Pentecost, Jesus declared that His miracles were a part of the events in the year of God's favor.
Miracles. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see.
The blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them".
(Matthew 11: 5)
What will be accomplished in this year? At the beginning of the year, the disciples brought this ministry to the Gentiles.
At the end of time, the Gentiles will give it back to the Jews.
- Proclamation of Liberty. Jesus proclaimed liberty from sin through His death.
Babylon |
Destruction |
Many
  Highway (Broad Road to Babylon) |
Temple |
Few
Highway (Narrow Road to Zion) |
Priests |
Mount Zion |
Jerusalem |
Life |
Mount Zion |
- Rebuilding the Ancient Ruins. The Gentiles will rebuild knowledge about the Messiah but the Jews will rebuild knowledge about the ancient feasts and covenants which point to Christ. There is an exchange of wealth which enriches the entire church.
It brings in an harvest which is a sign of the coming new earth.
» Foreign Farmers. The Gentiles will bring in the harvest of nations.
» The Desert Blooms. The wilderness and the desert will be glad, and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. (Isaiah 35: 1)
» Water in Dry Places. The scorched Land will become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water ... (Isaiah 35: 7)
The Holy Spirit will be in the whole earth.
» The Sabbath Foundation. The Sabbath is one of the age old foundations and is the first law we saw in Eden as a part of the seven days of the creation. This is an amazing thing! A moral law was used as one of the building blocks of creaton.
For six days God created the physical things we see on the earth. On the seventh day He created the Sabbath and it is no less a foundation or a building block for the earth than the dirt, the trees or the waters.
God laid down a spiritual foundation on that day. It formed a bridge between heaven and earth. That foundation stone was the Sabbath.
Repair the Breach.
Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age old foundations, and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
Restore the Sabbath. If because of the Sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word,
then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
(Isaiah 58: 12-14)
The Sabbath is in ruins. At the end of time, the prophecy of Isaiah specifically points to the Sabbath as a breach that must be repaired in these times. It is the last link on the highway to heaven.
» Clearing the Way. Go through, go through the gates, clear the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples. (Isaiah 62: 10)
Twice in history we will go through the gates and build the highway. But we will remove the stones once.
- Go Through the Gates. Jesus rode through the eastern gate on a donkey and He made an open door for the church of Philadelphia to enter.
- Build Highway. The journey north after Christ and the journey south out of Babylon.
» Removing the Stones.
The stones will stay in place until the end of time when they will be moved.
- The Stumbling Block.
Jesus is the stumbling block placed before the Jews.
He is the stone that the Jews will remove. When they lift Him up they will finally see Him as their Messiah.
Remove the Stumbling Block.
And it will be said, "build up, build up, prepare the way. Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people."
For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy. "I dwell on a high and holy pkace, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite".
For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit will grow faint before Me, and the breath of those whom I have made.
God Hides Himself.
Because of the iniquity of unjust gain I was angry and struck him, I hid my face and was angry and he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
God Reveals Himself.
I have seen his ways but I will heal him. I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
creating the praise of the lips. "Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who us near", says the Lord and I will heal him.
(Isaiah 57: 14-19)
When the time comes to remove the stumbling block, God will reveal Himself and revive the spirit of the Jews and rebuild His church.
- The Hernia Stone.
Jerusalem is the stone that the wicked will attempt to lift, causing a hernia (Zechariah 12: 3).
They will have the same fate as Judas who had his intestines spill out after he tried to lift up Christ, the stumbling block before His time (Acts 1: 18-19).
At the end of time, anyone who tries to remove Jerusalem when she is supposed to be established will suffer a hernia.
- The Rock of Offense. Jesus is the one who is offensive to the wicked and the fools.
- Heart of Stone. God removes the stony hearts and gives us a heart of flesh.
With the stones removed we can begin to rebuild the house of God, the city of God and the Highway to Zion with the chief corner stone, the Sabbth foundation stone and the living stones.
» Building The Highway of Holiness.
A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it.
And the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
(Isaiah 35: 8, 10)
Notice that it is impossible for wicked fools to accidentally travel this highway. The righteous will automatically find it when they walk in His ways.
» The Narrow Road.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it.
(Matthew 7: 13-14)
As the escape and run out of Babylon, the righteous will find this narrow road to Zion.
» A Shining Light.
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning.
A New Name. The nations will be your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate.
A Crown. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
A Wedding. It will no longer be said to you "Forsaken", nor to your land will it any longer be said, "Desolate", but you will be called "My delight is in her", and your land, "Married", For the Lord delights in you and to Him your land will be married.
(Isaiah 62: 1-4)
The conversion of the nations will be their righteousness. When the twelve tribes led by the 144,000 travel down the highway to Mount Zion, then they will get a new name and a crown.
A New Name.
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
(Revelation 14: 1)
A Crown of Life.
... and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
(Revelation 20: 4)
A Wedding.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.
(Revelation 19: 7)
A City Full of Brides.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
(Revelation 21: 2)
» Relentless Watchmen. On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;
And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.
(Isaiah 62: 6-7)
» The Gospel: A Proclamation of Salvation to the World.
Behold the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him."
And they will call them, "The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord" and you will be called, "Sought out, a city not forsaken".
(Isaiah 62: 11-12)
- Prophesy Again: A Double Portion For the Jews.
The merging of events point to the efforts of God at the end of time to once again reach the Jews.
At that time, at the end of the "Favorable Year" they will recognize their Messiah that they rejected at the beginning of that year.
The glorious events will be fulfilled again when the Jews fulfill their mission.
» Priests. The Jews will be more like priests as they rebuild the foundation knowledge of the entire church of Israel which has been corrupted by the Gentiles.
Priests of God. But you will be called priests of the Lord; you will be spoken of as ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.
No Shame. Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land. Everlasting joy will be theirs.
(Isaiah 61: 6-7)
» The Wealth of Nations. At the end of time, the wealth of the nations will be the Messiah. It is the Gentiles who will convince the Jews about Yeshua, their Messiah.
They get another chance to accept Him. Why?
- Justice For the Jews.
Why were the Jews given a double portion? Because they were the firstborn and it is the law (Deuteronomy 21: 15-17). Isaiah suggests that they were robbed of their blessings.
Other prophecies suggest that they were blinded and made deaf before they were robbed so they could not understand.
The apostle Paul said that this was a part of the Plan of Salvation and God would bring them back at a specific time.
Now we know that it is not because of special priviledge or status. Now we know that it is because it is in the interest of justice and fairness.
For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering. And I will faithfully give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
(Isaiah 61: 8-9)
Jesus, the Messiah, was the burnt offering and inheritance which was robbed from them.
A future generation will receive the blessings, the inheritance of which they were robbed.
The Jews need two portions of the innheritance because they would be robbed of the first in the interest of the Plan of Salvation.
If they did not have the second portion, they could not be saved. The Gentiles were never robbed of their inheritance.
So in the end, both the Jews and the Gentiles inherit only one portion of inheritance. It is a fair and brilliant plan!
- The Day of Vengeance and Recompense (The Crucifixion).
Jesus finished reading the scriptures at this point. His work with Israel was only to announce the favorable year. It was not time for vengeance.
On the day of vengeance He will comfort us and save us.
... And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.
(Isaiah 61: 2)
Encourage the exhausted and strengthen the feeble.
Say to those with anxious heart, "take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you".
(Isaiah 35: 3-4)
For the first three and a half years He fulfilled the tasks of the acceptable year of the Lord. For the last three and a half years He submitted to the days of vengeance.
Through other prophecies we know that the day of vengeance for the righteous was when Jesus paid the price for their sins and paid the ransom to release them from captivity and to save them from their sins.
» The Day of Vengeance and Recompense (The Second Coming). The ultimate day of vengeance is the final year of plagues which terminates in the Second Coming.
Chapter 59-60: The Response Of The Jews To The Deliverer From Zion
Paul mentions this prophesy as proof that all Israel will be saved, because Jacob is included in the promise.
Hardness Reversed.
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, so that you will not be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
"The deliverer will come from Zion He will remove ungodliness from Jacob"
"This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins".
(Romans 11: 25-27)
The Deliverer will keep the covenant when He comes from Zion with the Holy Spirit who will help them to remain faithful forever.
In Paul's interpretation of this passage, Jacob specifically refers to the Jews.
The Covenant.
A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, declares the Lord.
As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the Lord: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring,
nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring", says the Lord, "from now and forever".
(Isaiah 59: 20-21)
Israel Becomes A Light to the World.
Then Israel becomes a light to a world that is now engulfed in darkness.
Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you.
Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.
(Isaiah 60: 1-3)
Zechariah talks about this light leading the world and the rest of the chapter describes the eternal results of this event.
The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah.
And the House of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.
(Zechariah 12: 7-8)
Chapter 63: The Year Of The Second Coming
The Righteous Savior Comes From the East.
Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah?
This One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength?
It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Treads the Wine Press.
Why is Your apparel red, and Your garment like the one who treads the wine press?
I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath.
And their life blood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment.
The Year of Vengeance.
For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come.
I looked and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me.
I trod down the peoples in My anger, and made them drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their life blood on the earth.
(Isaiah 63: 1-6)
Jesus was alone in His mission to bring justice and righteousness.
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
(Isaiah 59: 1, 16-17)
Revelation 19 takes its symbols from Isaiah. Revelation 16 says that He comes from the east.
Together they give a picture of the final year on earth as part of the events of the Second Coming.
According to Revelation 18, Babylon falls in one year.
Bride is Ready | Armies on White Horses | Treads the Wine Press | Bride is Rescued |
Vengeance Begins | The Wrath (Seven Last Plagues) |
The Righteous Savior Comes.
And I saw heaven open, and look, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
Treads the Wine Press.
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron,
and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
(Revelation 19: 11-15)
Israel At The Crucifixion
This prophecy has a dual fulfillment. The "Day of the Lord" begins with Gethsemane and ends with the Second Coming.
So this prophecy fits both the events in Gethsemane to Calvary and the punishment of the wicked at the end of time.
It fits the time of the crucifixion because Jesus was suffering the wrath of the plagues for the righteous.
So, in am amazing way He was pouring out His life both for the blessing of sinners and as punishment for sinners.
- The Man From Bozrah (Edom). Bozrah was an Edomite city which was located in the south east of Israel. Herod was from the house of Edom, descendants of Esau who sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of beans.
Israel was about to sell their birthright to the Gentiles. So, from two perspectives Jesus was the Man living in Bozrah.
When Jesus was in the garden pouring out blood, He was in the south east of Jerusalem.
So, here again He was the Man from Bozrah whose garments were stained with blood.
- The Man With Glowing Colors. Jesus was the burnt offering. He experienced this during the bitter trials and beatings.
The color also comes from the image of the man from the east coming with the rising of the sun.
It is also an image of the Messiah Prince from Ezekiel.
After leaving the fiery trials, He came to the crucifixion with the rising of the sun.
- Garments Stained Red. His garments must have bee stained by the blood oozing out of His pores in Gethsemane.
He was both clothed and then naked for the beatings and crucifixion and His blood poured out on His "garments", which is His body that He used to cloak Himself in the flesh of humanity.
- Life Blood Poured Out. His blood was poured out in Gethsemane and on Calvary.
- Treading The Wine Press. Gethsemane is called the olive press and the wine press.
- Alone. He was alone in Gethsemane because His disciples kept falling asleep and would not help Him to pray.
He was alone during the trial and on the cross because everyone deserted Him. So he bore the punishment of our sins alone.
- No One To Uphold. Victory can only be attained in the battle if the arms are lifted up.
This imagery comes from Moses. In the war at Rephidim with Amalek, their eternal enemies, Israel prevailed when Moses' arms were lifted up.
When Moses grew tired and his arms fell, Israel lost.
So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses� hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
(Exodus 17: 11-13)
So, in the battle for souls on the cross, Jesus had no one to help Him hold up His tired hands.
In fact, Satan outdid himself. By having Jesus' hands nailed in an upright and stretched out position he was guaranteeing that Jesus woul prevail.
- My Own Arm Brought Salvation. By Himself, without help Jesus saved us.
- Astonished. This portion of the prophecy makes it a certainty that the symbols also apply to the events of the crucifixion.
We can assume that in the end, the prophecy teaches that Jesus eradicates evil all by Himself.
However, He will have a whole universe of admirers accompanying Him. Therefore if He wanted or needed help, it will be available.
So He could only be astonished at the lack of human support at the crucifixion, not at the Second Coming.
- Wrath and Vengeance. Jesus suffered the wrath for the righteous at the crucifixion but the wicked will suffer wrath at the end of time.
- Day Of Vengeance. The day of the crucifixion and the day of the Second Coming.
- Year Of Recompense. The seven last plagues will actually occur over a period of one year.
Israel In The Last Days
The rest of the chapter is the story of Israel after the crucifixion and after the exodus with Moses.
The crucifixion begins the exodus with Jesus Christ to the final Promised Land.
- Remembering God's Deeds. God did mighty deeds and miracles to free them from Egypt. Jesus did miracles during His ministry and after Pentecost and He will do even greater deeds just before the Second Coming.
- God Became Their Savior. God saved them in the exodus and He saved them at the cross.
- God Redeemed Them. They were redeemed from slavery in Egypt and from slavery to sin.
- Israel Rebelled. Israel rebelled during the exodus and at the crucifixion.
- Shepherd To Lead Them. Moses and Jesus were their shepherds.
» Brought Out Of The Sea. The foaming sea of the wicked, the flood of the Roman army.
» Given The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also came at Pentecost.
- Restrained Compassion. The experience of the Jews for the past 2000 years seems to suggest that God has been fighting against them and has restrained His compassion.
Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation;
Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.
(Isaiah 63: 15)
- God Our Father. So Israel appeals to God as their Father.
- Hardened Hearts. Israel asks why did God harden their hearts so that they rejected Him.
Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
(Isaiah 63: 17)
In Romans 11: 25-26, God gives the answer. He can save the Gentiles when Israel hardens their heart.
The exodus story also shows that a hardened heart gives God the opportunity to do mighty deeds to magnify His name and reputation.
- Sanctuary Trodden Down. Isaiah wrote this before Babylon destroyed the temple.
However, the rest of the prophecy places the events at least at the time of the Romans.
They destroyed the temple called Jesus Christ in 31 AD and then they destroyed the temple in 70 AD.
Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while, our adversaries have trodden it down.
(Isaiah 63: 18)
Jesus has good news about the downtrodden sanctuary. He will rebuild it in three days.
Jesus is the only temple that is now important. The Antichrist will possess the temple at the end of time, but he no longer has access to the temple where God lives.
- Israel Forgotten. Israel now seems to be cursed and forgotten.
We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, like those who were not called by Your name.
(Isaiah 63: 19)
Chapter 66: The Wrath
Isaiah gives a reason for the fury of God. The wicked have set up their own system of religion and it is an abomination.
That is the same message of Revelation 13.
Revelation 16 describes how this abomination will be torn down and how God views the people and their sanctuary. In this chapter Isaiah tells us how God views each part of their sanctuary
and how God views the priests who lead these rebellious people.
All of them are rejected.
Priests.
But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man. He who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog's neck.
He who offers grain offering is like one who offers swine's blood.
He who burns incense is like one who blesses an idol.
As they have chosen their own ways and their soul delights in their abominations, so I will choose their punishments and will bring on them what they dread.
Because I called and no one answered. I spoke but they did not listen. And they did evil in my sight and chose that in which I did not delight.
(Isaiah 66: 3-4)
Furniture | Worshippers | Priests | Comment |
Altar | Sores | Murderers | They murdered the offering |
Laver | Blood of the dead | - | They made themselves unclean |
Drink offering | Blood | Swine's blood | They brought unclean and abominable offerings and ate them before the Lord in His own house |
Food offering | Famine | Swine's flesh, mice |
Incense | God does not hear | Idolatry | They worshipped their own gods in the sanctuary of God |
All Worshippers.
For the Lord will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by the Lord will be many.
Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, following one in the center,
who eat swine's flesh, detestable things and mice, will come to an end together says the Lord.
(Isaiah 66: 16-17)
The worshippers follow one leader, doing what they like, spitting in the face of God, and all of them will die by fire.
The food offering was particularly detestable. When an offering was made it could be divided into three portions: for God, the priest and the people.
Most offerings were given to God and the priests, but the people were given a portion of the peace offerings to eat because it was the meal they chose to share with God in a gesture of friendship and hospitality.
So the sin Isaiah is describing is the abominable offerings that the people chose to give God for their freewill offerings, thank offerings and peace offerings.
They expressed their thanks and love to God by eating the most abominable unclean foods, pigs, mice and everything detestable and giving the same to God.
This is an insult.
The Gathering Of The Righteous
Isaiah describes a miracle in the last days.
The church is born in one day before the labor pains.
So in a very short time, before the final persecution, the people who will be part of the kingdom will suddenly make their decision for God.
The Birth of Global Israel.
Before she travailed she brought forth. Before her pain came she gave birth to a boy.
Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day?
Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.
"Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?", says the Lord.
"Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?", says your God.
...
The time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.
(Isaiah 66: 7-9, 18)
» Benjamin. The child named Benjamin is the son that is born before the labor pains of persecution begins.
The Final Years
Isaiah says that Israel will be born in one day. This prophetic time is one year.
Revelation also says that the seven last plagues will occur in one year.
Are these the same time period?
Because Isaiah also says that the nation will be born before the labor pains, it probably means that these are two years.
The great period of evangelism and the final harvest occurs in one year and the plagues occur the next.
One Year of Plagues.
For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
(Revelation 18: 8)
- | One Year | - | One Year | One Day |
Pregnant | Birth | The Bride is Ready | Labor Pains | Treads the Wine Press | The Bridegroom Comes |
The World | The Church | Persecution | The Seven Last Plagues | Second Coming |
One fact that is not clear is if the year of plagues is the same as the time of persecution.
The persecution probably begins during the birth of the church and continues until the end of time.
The Gospel: The Sign To The Nations
Jesus will give a sign when He gathers the nations.
The preaching of the Gospel will gather the nations to Him.
The Gathering.
For I know their works and their iniquities, the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.
The Sign Is The Glory of God Or Glorifies God.
I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My name nor seen My glory.
And they will declare My glory among the nations.
(Isaiah 66: 18-19)
Jesus Is The Sign.
In that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples, and His resting place will be glorious.
The Second Exodus.
Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain,
from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
The Gathering.
And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
(Isaiah 11: 10-12)
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.
(John 12: 32)
Twice in history, God led His people from the land of Babylon and the places where they were exiled.
Twice in history, the cross will lead men to God.
At His death on the cross, it gave Him the power and the legal right to save all humans.
When we preach the gospel of the cross, it will draw the world to Him.
So the sign in the last days is the preaching of the Gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit.
The united church will show the glory and majesty of God to the world when the preaching of the cross speaks about His love,
His compassion, His tenderness, His patience, His sacrifice, His goodness and His mercy and it unites the Jews and Gentiles.
Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2: 15
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Time: 150 minutes Print: 30 pages |
Copyright
First Created : June 2005. Updated. November 2008, June 2011.
Credits:
Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008)
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