About Gentile and Jewish Times
Labels:
Isaiah
58. An expository study of
Isaiah, chapter 65
The Times of the Gentiles
Paul quoted Moses, “I will make you jealous of those who are
not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry” (Ro.10:19 from
Dt.32:21). He then turns to Isaiah: “Isaiah
is so bold as to say, ‘I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have
shown myself to those who did not ask for me” (Ro.10:20-21 from Is.65:1-2).
Paul exalted his ministry
among the Gentiles by quoting the Old Testament. The prophets from the early
history of Israel predicted the Times of
the Gentiles, the days of the New Testament, when the gospel would be
preached to all kindred, nation, tongue and tribe around the world. Even in the
Old Testament, God frequently showed His love for the people outside of Israel.
Isaiah is pointing to a very
definite time in the history of the Jews, when the clock of their future will
stop. I am writing of the future predicted by the angel, Gabriel, to Daniel,
concerning his people: “Seventy weeks
are decreed about your people and your holy city” (Dan.9:24). That is
seventy sevens (weeks meaning literally
and better translated sevens) or
seventy weeks of years, each week, seven years in length. He is speaking of a
period of 490 years, beginning with a decree to rebuild Jerusalem. This time
came to a halt after 483 years, when the Jews crucified their Messiah. From
that time, as the book of Acts testifies in detail, God began a sovereign work
among non-Jewish people, who are not a
nation, foolish nation, who did not seek me, who did not ask for me.
Paul used the type of a
natural olive tree and its roots in Romans 11:24 to represent Israel and taught
that God grafted these non-Jews into it to provoke the Jews to jealousy, as
Moses predicted. In Ephesians 2:12, Paul said that the Gentiles were “separated from Christ, alienated from the
commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no
hope and without God in the world.” Back in Romans 9:25, he quotes Hosea
2:23, “Those who were not my people I
will call ‘my people’, and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved’.”
“Oh, the depth
of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” exclaims Paul at the end of
Romans 11. He has devised an ancient plan, in which, “God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all” (Ro.11:32).
As to the future of the Jew, Paul asked, “Has
God rejected his people?” and answers his own question, “By no means!” (Ro.11:1). “If you were cut from what is by nature a
wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature… how much more will these, the
natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree” (Ro.11:24). The
Time of the Gentiles will be
fulfilled (Ro.11:25) and the Jewish clock will begin to tick again for the
final seven years. He then concludes, “All Israel will be saved…” (Ro.11:26).
Evil matures in Israel
The Holy Spirit inspires
Isaiah to delve into these divine thoughts, as Moses and Hosea did, and finally
Paul saw the whole picture clearly. Isaiah deemed his nation obstinate “all the day… in their own devices”, until
their rebellion reaches its maturity at the time of Christ. Their devices were
inserted into their religion, “sacrificing
in gardens”, rather than in the Jerusalem temple, as the Lord had
commanded. They made ‘offerings on
bricks”, a sacrilege going back to their slavery in Egypt, when they were
forced to help build Pharaoh’s empire with bricks. Bricks constructed the
designs of fallen man from the time of the Tower of Babel (v.3).
The practices of verse 4 are not
only ungodly in nature, but hint of satanic witchcraft, in devotion to God’s
ancient enemy. They “sit in tombs, and
spend the night in secret places”, besides eating forbidden pork and
abominable meat. Worse yet, they resorted to an exclusive hypocrisy… “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for
I am too holy for you”, that reached its apex in the Phariseeism of Jesus’
time. As smoke in the nostrils, they were an irritation to God, as He manifested
through His Son (v.5).
It is no wonder that Jesus
challenged their beliefs and practices, as Isaiah predicted that He would: “It is written before me: ‘I will not keep
silent, but I will repay…’” (v.6). Jesus also brought up the principle
given in verse 7, repaying “both your iniquities
and your fathers’ iniquities together”. He put it this way to the scribes
and Pharisees: “Hypocrites! For you
build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken
part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against
yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then,
the measure of your fathers” (Mt.23:29-32). Verse 7 also refers to an evil
practice, which became part of their culture… the sacrifices and offerings on
the high places.
The remnant
From chapter 1, Isaiah speaks
of a remnant and this book is particularly addressed to them. “The new wine is found in the cluster, and
they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it’” (v.8). The
Lord recognizes their presence and refrains from treading upon all the grapes
for their sake. Paul showed that they existed in Israel in the time, when Elijah
thought that he alone truly served God: “I
have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (Ro.11:4).
Still they existed in Paul’s day: “So to
at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace” (Ro.11:5).
He saves the remnant to bring
forth a future generation, who will dwell in and possess the land (v.9): “Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have
sought me” (v.10). In contrast to them are the majority who forsake and
forget the Lord. Forgetfulness in Scripture deals with a state, in which people
ignore the things of God and turn to men and devils, adapting their vocabulary
to include them. In verse 11, the terms are Fortune and Destiny, rather than divine
Blessing and Providence or Sovereignty. You notice that they are capitalized,
therefore given proper names. They are the names of false gods, which we must
always consider to be demons. The Septuagint translates, “Preparing a table for the demon, and filling up, or pouring out, a
libation to fortune.”
Divine justice delivers a
sentence that fits the crime: “I will destine you to the sword”. Because
they did not pay attention to the Lord’s voice, their will and deeds went in
the opposite direction. They displeased Him and did evil (v.12). According to
the division made in the choices of the people, so they would be divided in
judgment: “My servants shall eat, but
you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty;
behold my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, my
servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of
heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit” (v.13-14).
In the end times, Zechariah
reveals that two-thirds of the Jews will ultimately be destroyed and one-third
would be purified. An angel showed Daniel: “Many
shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the
wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those
who are wise shall understand” (Dan.12:10). One will be cursed and the
other blessed (v.15).
All Israel will be saved
Ultimately, truth prevails: “He who blesses himself in the land shall
bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall
swear by the God of truth.” I hope that we can see, through prophecy and in
the Word of God, in general, the absolute prominence of truth. God is the God
of truth and the gospel teaches us that Jesus Himself said that He is the
truth. Those who love truth will come to the light and listen to Christ’s
voice. Those who do not love truth, will be sent strong delusion by God
Himself, so that they will be deceived and destroyed. God’s love for truth
exceeds His love for mankind.
Now prophecy carries us into
the age of bliss… the Millennium and on to the new heavens and the new earth.
They come together, largely, by Isaiah’s pen, as do the First and Second Advent
of Christ. This blend is characteristic of all prophecy, as we have maintained
in a previous chapter, but, I think we have learned that Isaiah, in particular,
will quite suddenly turn from one time to another. The New Testament book of
Revelation, on the other hand, makes a clear separation between these two
periods.
Isaiah takes us into eternity:
“The former troubles are forgotten and
are hidden from my eyes” (v.16). Sins are forgiven, forgotten and hidden in
the depths of the sea. “He will wipe
away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall
there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have
passed away” (Rev.21:4). Isaiah continues: “I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not
be remembered or come into mind” (v.17). Apparently, in eternity, the mind
will be wiped clean of all that was negative in time.
Before the new earth comes
into play, there will be a thousand years of bliss on this earth and Isaiah
gives us an excellent description. Verses 18 and 19 would fit, in either case,
the Millennial Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem, or both. Gladness and rejoicing
begins in the earthly reign of righteousness and continues forever. We will
only note that God is the God of eternal joy: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are
pleasures forevermore” (Ps.16:11). Her people are created for gladness, so
when they celebrated in Nehemiah’s day, he warned them: “This day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of
the lord is your strength” (Neh.8:10). Holiness is joy and Nehemiah knew
that it was not right to be grieved in the presence of royalty (see Neh.2:2).
There will be longevity of
life in the Millennium. The curse will be reversed, but not removed. There will
still be death, but as it states in verse 20, “the young man shall die a hundred years old.” A man will still be
considered young on his 100th birthday. Life’s labors will be joyful
and profitable. What a man builds will not be taken away by another and what he
plants will not be reaped by another. “My
chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (v.21-22).
Family life will be blessed: “They shall not labor in vain or bear
children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the
Lord, and their descendants with them” (v.23). Private prayer and prayer
meetings will still be a priority in the Millennium. They also will be times of
rejoicing and communion with God and will reach a wonderful apex with
instantaneous response: “Before they
call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear” (v.24).
For all of you, who, like me, are
animal lovers, the Millennium will offer pleasure, far beyond the scenes of
compatibility between natural enemies, which we sometimes view on the internet.
Think about this: “The wolf and the lamb
shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be
the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
says the Lord” (v.25). All animals and men will be vegetarians. Enemies
will become friends under the rule of Jesus Christ and society will be loving
and kind.
These are the written promises
of God, the Holy Spirit, defining the day that we should be awaiting with great
anticipation. I think, we would not be doing wrong, if we would contemplate
many other unwritten pleasures, totally in concord with Scripture, which will
logically grace this time. We have only been given an outline and many things
can be reasonably added. So think on these things and spend your life in
preparation for another, better world!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Recommended Books
Post a Comment