A Nation Born in a Day
Labels:
Isaiah
59. An expository study of
Isaiah, chapter 66
(Please read a few paragraphs, just added, from A. W. Tozer)
(Please read a few paragraphs, just added, from A. W. Tozer)
Resisting the Holy Spirit
“Thus says the
Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house
that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?” (v.1). Even
after constructing a temple, which was a wonder of the ancient world, Solomon
humbly recognized that it was not a worthy place, in which the Creator could
dwell. He said, “Will God indeed dwell
on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how
much less this house that I have built” (1 Kg.8:27). 
When the martyr, Stephen, gave
his indisputable argument about the ways that Israel had always resisted the
Holy Spirit, he included their devotion to the temple. “The Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet
says…” and then quoted this first verse of Isaiah’s last chapter. Two
verses later Stephen says, “You
stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the
Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you” (Ac.7:48-51).God had only
ordered the raising of a tabernacle in the wilderness, as He reminded Nathan,
the prophet (2 Sam.7:6-7). Until the literal reign of Christ upon the earth,
every building made by man for Him, is meaningless, as far as spiritual
significance is concerned.
Jesus gave no instructions
concerning the formation of any institution founded on earthly soil and his
disciples took no steps in that direction. There may have been places rented
for meeting in the early days of Christianity, but most of the evidence of
meeting places referred to homes. “The
church in their house” (Ro.16:5; 1 Co.16:19; Col.4:15; Phm.1:2). No Bible
schools were built, no organizations formed, no central seat of government was
established, no system or program was taught or followed. The book of Acts
described the acts of the Holy Spirit and the disciples moved and ministered in
His power and by His direction.
Consider these thoughts by A. W. Tozer: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” --Acts 1:8
“You know, the Church started out with a Bible, then it got a hymnbook, and for years that was it--a Bible and a hymnbook. The average church now certainly wouldn't be able to operate on just a hymnbook and the Bible. Now we have to have all kinds of truck. A lot of people couldn't serve God at all without at least a vanload of equipment to keep them happy.
Some of these attractions that we have to win people and keep them coming may be fine or they may be cheap. They may be elevated or they may be degrading. They may be artistic or they may be coarse-- it all depends upon who is running the show! But the Holy Spirit is not the center of attraction, and the Lord is not the one who is in charge. We bring in all sorts of antiscriptural and unscriptural claptrap to keep the people happy and keep them coming.
As I see it, the great woe is not the presence of these religious toys and trifles--but the fact that they have become a necessity, and the presence of the Eternal Spirit is not in our midst!”
"Lord, we've been taught good methods in Seminary; we've emphasized the need to be technologically up-to-date to reach our generation. As I do indeed commit myself to excellence in reaching people for Christ, help me to remember that the power is not in the methods or the means, but in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Sermon: The Eternal Spirit
“You know, the Church started out with a Bible, then it got a hymnbook, and for years that was it--a Bible and a hymnbook. The average church now certainly wouldn't be able to operate on just a hymnbook and the Bible. Now we have to have all kinds of truck. A lot of people couldn't serve God at all without at least a vanload of equipment to keep them happy.
Some of these attractions that we have to win people and keep them coming may be fine or they may be cheap. They may be elevated or they may be degrading. They may be artistic or they may be coarse-- it all depends upon who is running the show! But the Holy Spirit is not the center of attraction, and the Lord is not the one who is in charge. We bring in all sorts of antiscriptural and unscriptural claptrap to keep the people happy and keep them coming.
As I see it, the great woe is not the presence of these religious toys and trifles--but the fact that they have become a necessity, and the presence of the Eternal Spirit is not in our midst!”
"Lord, we've been taught good methods in Seminary; we've emphasized the need to be technologically up-to-date to reach our generation. As I do indeed commit myself to excellence in reaching people for Christ, help me to remember that the power is not in the methods or the means, but in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Sermon: The Eternal Spirit
The Maker of all things, Who
brought all things into existence, is not looking for a material gift. Here is
what He seeks: “This is the one to whom
I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (v.2).
He is looking for people, individuals actually, who are humble and who possess
the fear of God. Give Him this and satisfy His heart. From these He formed a
remnant in the time of Isaiah and from these He builds His church today. His
attention is focused on people, not things, and not on the development of “a
work”, unless that work is done in the inner man. It is amazing how churchmen
can stray so far from the original plan of first-century Christianity and think
it normal. In its beginnings, the church was pure, pristine, primitive and
powerful.
A trembling minority and an evil majority
Throughout history and up to
the present day, those who are humble and fear God are in the minority, while
rebels against their Creator form the bulk of the population. Nonetheless they
tend to be religious, but God hates the pretense of every one. In accordance
with the ceremonial law, He speaks of one, who sacrifices an ox, but has the
murderous heart of a pagan, offering human sacrifices. The sweet offering of
frankincense is unacceptable from the soul of an idolater. The beauty of
Levitical offerings were only received if the heart was right. These hearts are
marred, as those, who offer unclean animals such as dogs and pigs.
The core of evil lies in fallen
nature, whose ways are contrary to the ways of God. They refuse to submit to
Him. As a temple made with hands cannot satisfy the Creator, so the outward
practices of the hypocrite cannot justify an unclean soul: “These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their
abominations” (v.3). Their punishment will be according to their sin… “I also will choose harsh treatment for
them and bring their fears upon them.” They turned a deaf ear to God,
ignoring His word, and made the wrong choices… “And chose that in which I did not delight” (v.4). Man’s will is
harbored in a depraved soul.
Isaiah’s remnant who feared
God, were of the same nature as the followers of Jesus. He taught them that they
could expect the same from the world around them as Isaiah’s remnant: “If you were of the world, the world would
love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out
of the world, therefore the world hates you… They will put you out of the
synagogues; Indeed the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is
offering service to God” (Jn.15:19, 16:2). Isaiah said the same… the
God-fearers would be hated, cast out, and their “brothers” would think that
they were glorifying God by doing so.
The word teaches us to honor
God above all, because, although society will hate and persecute, “it is they who shall be put to shame” (v.5).
His honor must be our goal and His word
must drown out the sounds of the world. Can you hear it? “The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The
sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies!” (v.6)
An unprecedented delivery
Verse 7, “Before
she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son”
is a wonderful contrast to the confession of Hezekiah in chapter 37:3… “The children have come to the point of
birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.” Israel is coming into
another era and her God is taking total charge. It is a powerful, sovereign
work that has never happened before in the history of all the nations of the
world.
Around the turn of the 20th
Century, their God, Jehovah, drew them back to the land, from which the Romans
drove them in 70 A.D. After World War II, through a series of providential
events, the English returned the land to them and Hebrew once again became the
official language: “Who has heard such a
thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a
nation be brought forth in one moment?” It is unprecedented, but on May 14,
1948, Israel once again became a sovereign nation! The Lord has done it and it
stands! Really, it is the first time that Israel has been totally sovereign,
since they were carried into Babylonian captivity, 2500 years ago. For about
1875 years, they were wanderers over the face of the whole earth, without a
homeland.
Not without pain, there was
opposition and war, but very quickly, “she
brought forth her children” (v.8). The Lord reminds us of a divine
principle that cannot fail. He never starts something that He does not finish: “Shall I bring to the point of birth and
not cause to bring forth?” (v.9) The question has a sure, positive answer. He
will not undo, what He has done and His work always comes to total fruition. He
has proclaimed it and it will be done. Remember - prophecy from the lips of the
eternal God is as sure as history.
This amazing prophecy carries
a command, which the Christian church most certainly must obey; even secular
nations should respond to it: “Rejoice
with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in
joy, all you who mourn over her” (v.10). Many mourned after the truth of
the Nazi holocaust became public news. As the Jews were persecuted, sensitive
people risked their lives and freedom to help them and their children. Now it
is time to rejoice over Jerusalem and the glory of her God.
The Judgment of the Nations
will occur before the Millennium and those who rejoiced with her and aided her
in her grief, will reap the benefits. In the future, the Gentile nations will
be nourished and blessed from her: “That
you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance” (v.11) The
Lord lavishes future blessing upon Jerusalem and Salem will once again really signify peace. Peace will flow like a river and the glory of peace will
extend like an overflowing river… that is, peace flows and its glory overflows.
Jerusalem, the mother of us all
Does the promise, which
continues in verse 12, still refer to those outside Jerusalem, who love her, or
does it concern the Jewish nation around her? It seems to me that the abundance
of Jerusalem will sustain the entire planet; it will be an overflowing stream
of blessing. So, I think, the wealth of the world will flow into Jerusalem, and
in turn, from Jerusalem, the Messianic government will bless the world.
Jerusalem will be like a
mother, providing abundant nourishment, peace and comfort, “carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his
mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem” (v.12,13).
It is the fountain of heartfelt, spiritual joy and physical strength that comes
from within, reversing the curse, as we saw in the last chapter (65:20).
“The hand of the
Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against
his enemies” (v.14). Perhaps, no comment is needed for the last sentence, except to say
that the Lord’s hand will be very evident in the lives of his people, as will
His wrath to the enemies. The next verses depict final wrath and judgment
towards “all flesh”. All opposition
to His reign will be totally squelched in fiery judgment. “And those slain by the Lord will be many” (v.15,16).
The Battle of Armageddon
Idolatry will reach fanatical
proportions to the degree that people will “sanctify
and purify themselves” for their idols,
provoking the Lord to jealousy. They form gods in their own minds, under a
tremendous heart deception. “They go
into the gardens, following one in their midst, eating pig’s flesh and the
abomination and mice.” Mice were Philistine gods, you may remember, and
mice are fed by poor people in India in superstitious devotion. Pigs have
always represented uncleanness among the Hebrews and so, in the confused
thinking of people in the last days, their way to sanctification and
purification is sought through abominations.
Isaiah prophesies of
Armageddon. Carnivorous birds will come, attracted by supernatural forces, “to eat the flesh of horses and their
riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great” (Rev.19:18).
God will gather armies together from around the globe for destruction. “They shall come to an end together,
declares the Lord. For I know their
works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and
tongues” (v.17,18). “I saw the beast
and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war” (Rev.19:19).
Zechariah also saw that day: “I will
gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle” (Zec.14:2).
The unfaithful and rebellious
Jews will suffer a tremendous slaughter, before the Lord intervenes to save the
remnant. There will be Gentile survivors as well, who will enter the Millennium
and see His glory. A witness will go out in every direction to all the nations
and a number of token nations are mentioned: Tarshish would be Spain to the
west, Pul and Lud were in North Africa, Tubal was in northeast Asia Minor and
Javan was in Greece. Witnesses will declare God’s glory in distant coastlands, “that have not heard my fame or seen my
glory” (v.19).
In a recent chapter, we saw
the Jews coming back to their land in ships (60:9). Now we see them coming on
every kind of land transportation, by horses and chariots, mules and
dromedaries, to Jerusalem. The Gentiles will bring them as an offering to the
Lord, “just as the Israelites bring
their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord” (v.20), so
He will make some of them priests and Levites in the Millennial temple (v.21).
The Millennium will be the
beginning of faithful national worship to the Lord, which will extend into the
new heavens and the new earth. Offspring will be born during the thousand-year
reign, who will enter eternity and worship before God forevermore. The name of
Israel will not die out, when the redeemed enter the New Jerusalem (v.22). The
gates of the city will be inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of the
sons of Israel (Rev.21:12). Beyond the Jews, “all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord” (v.23).
The Israelites looked back,
after crossing the Red Sea, and saw the bodies of the Egyptians strewn along
the sea shore (Ex.14:30) Isaiah mentions that those who inhabit the Millennium
will have one last look at the bodies of the damned, who had rebelled against
the Lord, slaughtered at Armageddon. With this observation comes a solemn
reminder that this is not their end: “Their
worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched” (v.24). With that
warning, Isaiah ends his prophecy. Jesus used this same language and pointed
for an example to Gehenna, the ever-burning garbage dump outside Jerusalem. As
Isaiah, Jesus kindly warned of the awful, eternal punishment of the condemned
sinner, who would burn forever in the Lake of Fire.
……………………………
Isaiah has given us the
lessons of his day and has prophesied of future events, many of which have
already been fulfilled. He prophesied profusely of the life and reign of the
Messiah, a good part of which has literally come to pass in His First Advent.
The world awaits the literal fulfillment of His Second Advent. He has led us
through the Millennial reign of Christ and on into eternity with its New Heaven
and New Earth.
During the past century and on
into this 21st Century, Isaiah’s ministry carries a special impact
upon us. As we live today, we do not have to look far into the past to see the
final chapter of this book come alive before our eyes. We now can say that we
are witnesses of the nation that was born in one day… on May 14, 1948. How much
time still remains before the Time of the
Gentiles comes to an end and the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy for
his people take place? Following those years, which include the Great
Tribulation, the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the Gentiles will be
ushered into the Millennium and Christ will come with His church to reign from
Mount Sion.
As I write and as you later
read these words, in the Museum of Israel
in a room called The Sanctuary of the
Book, lies a copy of the book of Isaiah, which is at least 2,000 years old.
The scroll is totally opened, it is entirely intact and, although we may not be
able to read its classical Hebrew writing, it speaks to us and the world of our
day! It was discovered above the Dead Sea in 1947, one year before Israel
became a nation, and is now entrusted to its care. Jehovah, the Holy One of
Israel, has given an increasingly unbelieving world dazzling proof of the
veracity of His living Word and His faithfulness in bringing it to pass. We
should humble ourselves and tremble before Him.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Recommended Books
Post a Comment