PM Oct 21st Isa 64

October 21^st      Isaiah 64

1: Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 2: As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! 3: When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. 4: For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 5: Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. 6: But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7: And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. 8: But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 9: Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 10: Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11: Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. 12: Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

Isaiah 65           The Judgement of the rebellious

1: I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. 2: I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; 3: A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; 4: Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; 5: Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. 6: Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, 7: Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom. 8: Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. 9: And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. 10: And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me. 11: But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. 12: Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. 13: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: 14: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. 15: And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: 16: That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

New heavens and earth

17: For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18: But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19: And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 20: There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21: And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22: They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23: They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 24: And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 66           Judgement of the Nations

1: Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2: For all those things hath mine hand made, and those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. 3: He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. 4: I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. 5: Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. 6: A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies. 7: Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. 8: Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. 9: Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. 10: Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: 11: That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12: For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. 13: As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14: And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. 15: For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16: For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. 17: They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD. 18: For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. 19: And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 20: And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. 21: And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD. 22: For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23: And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 24: And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

In Ch 64 the prophet continues to describe the unfaithfulness of Israel. He longs for the Lord to come down but the Lord has withdrawn himself because of Israel’s sin. He says you are full of wrath because we have sinned. He says we are all an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. He mourns because there is none that seeks the Lord. Isaiah pleads he says you are our father and you are the potter and we are the clay and we are all your people. He says the holy cites are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem is a desolation. You can feel the trembling in his voice and the tears on his face. Then the Lord answers in Ch 65. the Lord says, l am sought of them that asked not for me. I am found of them that sought me not. He says l have spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people that do not live in the right way but live their own way. The Lord describes their abominations. He says l will bring a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains and my elect shall inherit it. The Lord promises destruction to those who are wicked. He will give food drink and joy to the righteous but hunger thirst and sorrow to the wicked. Then the prophet hears the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. This is the Millennial kingdom described in Rev 20. In those days a man that is a hundred will be reckoned as a child but those who reject the Lord will die at a hundred years of age. But the righteous will live for a thousand years. The days of a tree will be the days of a man. They will receive answer to prayer before the pray is made. The animal kingdom will be restored to Edenic peace. The wolf will feed with the lamb. The lion will eat straw like an ox and snakes will cease to bite. In Ch 66 Isaiah continues to describe the Kingdom blessing. The Lord says heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool and the Lord will look toward he that is poor and contrite in spirit and who trembles at Gods word. Then it will be true that the blessed are the poor in spirit for the kingdom of heaven will be theirs. (Matt 5) The Lord describes false religion as like a man who sacrifices and ox but is reckoned as killing a man or a man who offers an oblation is like a man who offers pig’s blood. The nation that worships the Lord with a true heart will be born again in a day. The Lord will give peace to Jerusalem like a river. Those that do abominations will be consumed by the fire of the Lord. Then the Lord send news around the whole earth to declare his glory to all nations. And the nations will bring offerings to the Lord. The Lord will take gentiles to be his priests to serve him. Every month and every week all men will worship the Lord. And they will see the eternal fire on those who rejected the Lord. Their copses will not be eaten nor consumed by the flames.