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.
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)
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)
| Bride is Ready | Armies on White Horses | Treads the Wine Press | Bride is Rescued |
| Vengeance Begins | The Wrath
(Seven Last Plagues) |
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.
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.
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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: 26 pages |
Copyright
First Created : June 2005. Updated. November 2008, June 2011.
Credits:
Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008)
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Temple Ruined
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Ezekiel