The End Times According to Isaiah, Part 1
Although he wrote during the period of 740 to 700 BC, Isaiah
is the prophet most often quoted in the New Testament.
He was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom at the same time as Hosea, Amos
and Micah. Isaiah was of the tribe
of Judah, and according to Rabbinic tradition was closely related to several
Kings. He was part of the
aristocratic class and may have been raised in the King's palace in Jerusalem.
Often called the greatest of Israel's writing prophets, Isaiah's book is
exceeded in length only by the Psalms and (just barely) Jeremiah. As the Bible
has 66 books Isaiah has 66 chapters,
The first 39 of them, equal to the books of the Old Testament, speak of
judgment. The last 27, the number of
New Testament books, focus on reconciliation and redemption.
It's true that chapter breaks didn't come along until much later but it's
interesting that even in its form, the Book of Isaiah is a model of God's word
in total.
The sudden change in theme has caused some liberal theologians
to ascribe the last 27 chapters, sometimes called the Book of Comfort,
to an unknown author they call Deutero-Isaiah.
The fact that the last part of the book contains much more in the way of
specific prophecy helps them justify this dual authorship, at least to
themselves. This is because liberal
theology pre-supposes the impossibility of predictive prophecy, and therefore
Isaiah couldn't have known the future.
But the Lord Jesus was under the impression that Isaiah wrote the entire
book. In John 12:38-41 he
quoted from both parts of Isaiah ( 53:1 first and then 6:10) attributing them to
the same author. If you need
confirming opinions, the Jewish
historian Josephus thought so too, and evangelical Christianity overwhelmingly
supports the book's single authorship.
The funny thing is, not only did Isaiah write the whole book,
but many scholars believe that a number of his prophetic passages had a dual
fulfillment in mind. The first would
culminate in the Babylonian captivity, which came 100 years later, while the
second was for the end of the age.
Tradition has it that after a long career as one of Israel's
prophets, Isaiah so upset King Manasseh, to whom he was related, that the wicked
king had him sawed in half. This is
hinted at in Hebrews 11:36-38, part of a passage that speaks of the
danger one faced in being a man of God.
It reads:
Some faced jeers and
flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned;
they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in
sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was
not worthy of them.
The last time I did a Bible study on Isaiah we met once a
week for 2 hours and it took a year to complete it.
In this study we're only going to look at those parts of the Book of
Isaiah that clearly relate to the End Times, which will include the most
descriptive passages of Israel's Kingdom Age to be found anywhere in Scripture.
Perhaps this way it will require less time. Let's get started.
After beginning with a 17 verse litany of Israel's sins,
the Lord had Isaiah plead with the people for a rational discussion of their
alternatives.
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and
obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you
will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah
1:18-20)
The choice is clear.
Willingly obey and be blessed, or resist and rebel and be devoured.
This choice was offered them in advance of the Babylonian conquest and it
is being offered now.
In Old Covenant times, two goats were brought before the High
Priest on Yom Kippur. One was a
peace offering and the other was the scapegoat.
As the High Priest symbolically transferred the sins of the people to the
scapegoat, a scarlet ribbon was tied from the goat's horn to a door of the
Temple. When the High Priest was
finished the ribbon was snipped and the scapegoat was led outside the city into
the wilderness where it was pushed off a cliff.
At the moment of the goat's death the portion of the ribbon that remained
tied to the Temple door turned from scarlet to white in fulfillment of Isaiah
1:18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
This was the sign that the Lord had accepted the sin offering and the
peace offering could be made. The nation would be at peace with God for another
year.
After the crucifixion, the Yom Kippur ceremony was repeated
every year until the Temple was destroyed, but the ribbon never changed color
again. The Lord was both our scape
goat and our peace offering and had fulfilled the Yom Kippur prophecy in His
death. He bore our sins (Isaiah 53:6) and He is our peace (Ephes. 2:14).
The shadow had given way to the reality (Hebrews 10:1) and was no longer
effective.
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was
full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her— but now murderers!
Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water.
Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and
chase after gifts. They do not
defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them.
(Isaiah 1:21-23)
These verses could have been ripped from current headlines,
since Israel's Prime minister is being forced from office due to his corruption.
He's accused of stealing money, accepting bribes, and improperly
receiving gifts.
Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty, the Mighty One of
Israel, declares: "Ah, I will get
relief from my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. I will turn my hand against
you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.
I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the
beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful
City." Zion will be redeemed with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness.
(Isaiah 1:24-27)
The Great Tribulation is compared to a refiner's fire in
Zechariah 13:9 where all Israel's impurities will be removed and the remnant
made pure. In a refinery, silver and gold are heated by fire to their melting
point. The impurities, called dross,
float to the top and are skimmed off leaving only the purest form of the
precious metal.
“But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who
forsake the LORD will perish. "You
will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will
be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen.
You will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water.
The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn
together, with no one to quench the fire." (Isaiah 1:28-31)
Here's one of the many places where the Lord makes clear that
it's not our works that will save us, no matter how mighty.
Works not done in the strength of the Lord, are like the dross that
floats to the top, revealed by the fire. Paul described our works burning in the
fire in 1 Cor. 3:10-15, but because of the cross our salvation will not
be in danger, as it was in the Old Testament.
So while our works may burn, we ourselves will escape.
In Isaiah's day the pagan religions were practiced in groves and gardens.
One difference today is that there's often a beautiful building in the
setting.
As is often the case in Isaiah the prophecies of judgment
contain a glimpse of restoration.
And so chapter 2 begins with the following:
This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem:
In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be
established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and
all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of he God of Jacob. He will teach us his
ways, so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes
for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they
train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the
LORD. (Isaiah 2:1-5)
The word mountain is used symbolically here referring to
governments, as in Daniel 2:35.
As the Kingdom Age begins, Israel will be the single super power on
Earth. All other national governments will be subordinate, creating a one world
government, headquartered in Israel, with King Jesus at its head.
All the world will be subject to God's laws and the Messiah King will be
the final authority on their
administration. Psalm 2:9
says that He'll rule with an iron scepter, and will tolerate no dissent.
In a reversal of Joel's call to war (Joel 3:9-11) in
his prophecy of the Great Tribulation, Isaiah issued a call to peace during the
Millennium, saying the Messiah will settle disputes between nations making war
unnecessary. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they
train for war anymore. This verse is carved over the entrance to the UN
building in New York. When the
Messiah comes the UN will disappear, but God's promise will remain and will
finally come true.
The temple Isaiah mentioned here is the one so carefully
described in Ezekiel 40-46. From Ezekiel we learn that the Temple itself
will be situated a few miles north of Jerusalem, and from Zechariah 14:4
we see that the current Temple Mount will disappear in an Earthquake that
divides the Mt. Of Olives in half.
The gorge created by the earthquake will extend from from the
Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea. Fresh water will emerge from under the Temple
to fill the gorge, bringing life to a region that's been an arid wasteland since
the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Ezekiel 47)
But before those days can come, the world must
first endure the worst time of tribulation ever witnessed on Earth. (Matt.
24:21) Isaiah's first description
begins in chapter 2 verse 6 and extends through the end of chapter 3.
We'll begin there next time and before we're through, you'll agree that
we can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 01-03-09.
