The Work of the
Coming Messiah
Book of Isaiah
Chapter 8-9
We should always
understand, when God's enemies threaten God's people, then God's
people can only be delivered by following God's directions! God
teaches us all that His "judgment" will come on all those
who reject His warnings.
God had warned all
of Israel and now even more so Judah of a terrible time of distress
that was close at hand. King Ahaz and all the people except a very
small remnant had forsaken God.
When we forsake God
we will be forsaken by God!
King Ahaz had
rejected any "sign" of deliverance that was offered to him
by God's Prophet and had place his security and the security of
Judah, into the hands of the King of Assyria.
The people of Judah
which lived in such a fear and terror now had turned to wizards and
necromancers for guidance, instead of seeking the Lord for answers.
Have you ever been
out on a dark night when it seemed that you could just feel the
darkness? Well a very dark cloud was approaching God's people, in
fact a darkness that could be felt as it approached.
As we know after the
dark and cloudy days, God's Sun always shines, so God's prophet
Isaiah, now spoke of the sunrise after such a dark and cloudy time
for the Jewish people.
Let's begin:
*****Isa 8:21
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it
shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret
themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.
Isa 8:22 And
they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness,
dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
We should clearly
understand when God's people are suffering because of the enemies of
Christ, God has an open ear. When God's people are suffering because
God's chastisement, that suffering will do nothing to turn away God's
anger.
The only way for
that suffering to end is genuine repentance!
When a people can
only see a picture of terrible darkness and gloom in their future, a
picture of even more suffering many times they will become
infuriated. They will curse their own government and all those that
do not know the Lord will curse Him also!
Maybe even some of
those that do know the Lord!
When hopelessness
grips a people they are soon taken captive by it and live a life of
misery! They will seek anything that seems to bring pleasure in this
life even if it brings health and/or financial ruin. Laws will have
no meaning, all authority will be rejected and even the simplicity of
Christ will seem to be a great burden.
We can be saved from
being caught up in these things!
What is God's
answer?
Act 2:38 Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For
the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40 And
with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, "Save
yourselves from this untoward generation".
God says we must
make a choice!
2Co 6:17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And
will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
God says those that
trust Him will always find a light at the end of the tunnel!
This what Isaiah was
preaching to God's people, the Jews!
What does God
promise to those who trust Him? Deliverance!
Why did Christ Jesus
come the first time? To preach this time of the "Grace of God"!
Luk 4:18 The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To
preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Deliverance, but by
the Lord Jesus Christ.
"God's Riches
At Christ's Expense"
*****Isa 9:1
Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation,
when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the
land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by
the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
Isa 9:2 The
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that
dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
shined.
Isaiah wanted the
people of Judah to completely understand, though they were facing a
terrible time in the near future, a glorious future still lay ahead
in another time!
Isaiah wanted these
people to know, there was coming a day when Israel would be united
and be able to stand against all her enemies.
What do we know? The
land of Zebulon and Naphtali were the first to feel the attacks of
foreign powers and became known as the Galilee of the Gentiles, in
the days of Jesus. Some say the Galilee of the nations, meaning the
same land that had been trampled upon by every foreign invader that
had ever entered into Palestine.
It can be said that
it was here in this Galilee of the Gentiles where the true light
shined, because it was here where the Lord Jesus Christ lived during
His ministry. It is from this same area where the Lord chose His 12
disciples.
Mat 4:12 Now
when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into
Galilee;
Mat 4:13 And
leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the
sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Mat 4:14 That
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,
saying,
Mat 4:15 The
land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea,
beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
Mat 4:16 The
people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat
in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Mat 4:17 From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand.
When there is a
prophesy in the Word of God there will be a fulfillment of that
prophesy!
This the land where
the Jew knew they were walking in the shadow of death but those who
knew the Lord could have no fear!
When we are walking
in such places God reminds us that He is walking with us.
Psa 23:1 The
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the
still waters.
Psa 23:3 He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
Psa 23:4 Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me.
Psa 23:5 Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
The truth is when we
see God's "warning" we will always see God's
"nevertheless", a means of escape, where God's "wrath"
becomes God's "mercy" when we repent!
In fact when we
study the Scriptures, we will most always find the clearer promises
of the Lord have been given to us in the darkest hours!
Every prophet of God
that told of the darkness of Israel and the darkness of evil in this
world also prophesied of the Messiah, the Savior! When lies and
falsehoods rule the hour, we always see the promise of the Messiah to
remove all unbelievers and shine in all His glory.
Jer 23:5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall
execute judgment and justice in the earth.
In our sinful nature
we stumble and grope through this world blind to the truth of the
spiritual world. Every effort is spent on living as long as possible
or just giving up and living in egregious sin for a short life of
misery.
The truth is there
is "no one who will not get the opportunity" to witness the
light of Jesus before their death, in any instance!
Joh 8:12 Then
spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he
that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.
Joh 8:24 I
said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye
believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
When we accept our
Savior, we no longer have to live in the darkness of this world!
*****Isa 9:3
Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy
before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when
they divide the spoil.
The truth is when
the Messiah returns to rule this earth for 1000 years, those who have
made it through the 7 years of tribulation will begin to multiply.
There will also be a
great increase in joy!
That joy will be
according to having a great harvest when there had been only a meager
planting.
Their joy will be as
a great victory over the enemy as it is the victorious soldiers who
divide the spoil of the enemy.
Just as the seed had
to pass through a long process while depending on the Lord of the
harvest, there will be a great victory!
Just as the army of
God has gone through a long and painful campaign depending on the
Lord of host, there will be a great victory!
Isa 61:9 And
their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring
among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they
are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Isa 61:10 I
will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God;
for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath
covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh
himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her
jewels.
Isa 61:11 For
as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the
things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will
cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the
nations.
The Lord will have
broken the burden of sin in this world!
The spiritual joy of
the Lord will be with all His people!
These are promises
made to the Jews.
*****Isa 9:4
For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his
shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
Isa 9:5 For
every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments
rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
It is true that
Midian had been a great burden to Israel for a period of time.
Jdg 6:1 And
the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the
LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
It is also true that
during the trial of Jesus, the Jewish people had made another even
more serious mistake!
Mat 27:24 When
Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult
was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude,
saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to
it.
Mat 27:25 Then
answered all the people, and said, "His blood be on us, and on
our children".
They had cursed
themselves and that burden will remain with them until the Messiah
returns to set them free, so even a much greater burden will have
been lifted at the Second Coming of Christ.
The Lord will have
broken the yoke of sin's prison.
The Lord will have
broken the yoke of Satan's bondage.
The Lord will have
broken the will to reject the Word of God.
The Lord will have
washed them in the "Blood of Jesus" the only blood that
cleanses.
Rev 13:8 And
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.
Rev 13:9 If
any man have an ear, let him hear.
At the return of the
Messiah, Jesus Christ, all wars will then cease!
All the battle
garments of all soldiers will then be just fuel for God's fire!
Eze 39:8
Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the
day whereof I have spoken.
Eze 39:9 And
they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set
on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the
bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they
shall burn them with fire seven years:
Eze 39:10 So
that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any
out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and
they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed
them, saith the Lord GOD.
And why are these
things so true? Because the Son of God will be all the government
that this world needs!
*****Isa 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The
zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Look out world, God
says the Messiah will first come as the "God-Man". (For
unto us a child is born)
The Messiah will
take the form of a human!
In our last lesson
we saw that Isaiah had prophesied the sign of the Messiah. The
Messiah would be born of a "Virgin". Not just some young
maiden but a young "Virgin" of marital age and according to
the Jewish tradition of marriage!
Luk 1:35 And
the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God.
Joh 1:14 And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth.
God was even so bold
to tell us where this birth of the Messiah would take place.
Mic 5:2 But
thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting.
And God through the
prophet Daniel gave us all a time frame for the birth of the Messiah
and even His return. Though no one will ever know the exact day or
the exact hour.
**(Unto us a Son is
given) Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.
**(Then shall the
government be upon His shoulder) The Messiah will have the
undisputable right to govern this entire world! The Messiah will put
his shoulder into this work!
Jer 23:5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall
execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In
his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and
this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
**(The Messiah would
be called "Wonderful-Counsellor") The Messiah would be the
Fountain of wisdom and understanding, with the mind that rules all
things!
Isa 28:29 This
also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in
counsel, and excellent in working.
Heb 2:18 For
in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour
them that are tempted.
The Messiah, is the
One person, who can feel what we feel and the only person who can
teach us how to have victory in life!
**(The Mighty God)
As the Mighty God, the Messiah can do things that no one can even
conceive.
He is omnipotent
(all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (present
everywhere at the same time)
The Messiah can save
anyone, the very moment they call out to Him in "faith",
under any conditions!.
He is the Savior, He
is the Redeemer, He is the Deliverer, He is everything that we have
ever needed and He is also the Perfection of beauty!
Psa 50:1 The
mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the
rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
Psa 50:2 Out
of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
Psa 50:3 Our
God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour
before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
**(The everlasting
Father)
Even with all His
power and all His wisdom and all His understanding, the Messiah is
first the most perfect Father than any of us have ever seen!
He knows that those
who trust Him are His children He will never forsake any of us, for
any reason!
He is exceeding in
tenderness and compassion!
Heb 2:13 And
again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the
children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.
Isa 40:10
Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall
rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before
him.
Isa 40:11 He
shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with
his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those
that are with young.
**(Prince of Peace)
The truth of the
Messiah, (Jesus Christ) is that, not only does He bring peace to the
human heart, when He returns, He will also bring world-wide peace to
every nation.
"Prince"
means he will be the principle ruler of this world and all His
creation. For 1000 years this world will be filled with a people of
peace!
And a peaceful
people will want to worship the Lord of Peace!
A heart that knows
true "forgiveness" can have "peace with God" and
"the peace of God"!
Php 4:7 And
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Rom 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By
whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
The Messiah will
return to this earth "to establish God's Kingdom"!
It is during this
time that it can be truly said that the "Gospel" has
reached every ear and every heart. As Daniel said "the stone
that was cut out of the mountain without hands has filled the whole
earth"
Dan 2:44 And
in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
By being the adopted
son of Joseph, the Messiah is the living heir to the throne of David
and the last One because He cannot die and the Church is the "bride
of Christ" and His children, the remaining heirs, who also
cannot die!
Remember it is not
the Church that joins with the Jews, it is the Jews who will join
with the Church. There will never be but one way to be in the family
of God and this is "Faith" in the work of the Lord Jesus
Christ!
God will fulfill the
promise He made to King David:
Psa 132:11 The
LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the
fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
God will fulfill the
promise He made to Israel:
Jer 3:17 At
that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all
the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to
Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of
their evil heart.
Jer 3:18 In
those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel,
and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land
that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
Israel will be
reunited, there are no lost tribes of Israel and there never have
been. God has always known where His people are located!
God will keep all
His promises!
**The Messiah will
rule with a rod of iron, but His kingdom will be established in
righteousness.
Isa 42:21 The
LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the
law, and make it honourable.
The zeal of the
Lord, "to sanctify His great name as the only Savior", will
have caused all these things to happen!
Eze 36:21 But
I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned
among the heathen, whither they went.
Eze 36:22
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do
not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's
sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
Eze 36:23 And
I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen,
which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall
know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be
sanctified in you before their eyes.
Eze 36:24 For
I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land.
No one will ever
again profane the name of the Lord!
We are a foolish
people if we do not want to be a part of the Kingdom of the Messiah,
The Lord Jesus Christ!
It is obvious that
we can see our world grow darker and darker in sin.
The sins of Sodom
and Gomorrah get more evident in our world today.
The governments
become more and more corrupt.
Evil is called good
and good is called evil.
God's people are
even more hated than ever before!
These things are all
facts!
It is obvious, that
the truth of God is, that Jesus Christ was much much more than just
some great teacher or some great prophet.
God says we need to
get our minds wrapped around this truth!
Php 2:5 Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God:
The Lord, the
Messiah, Jesus Christ, is declared in every manner possible to
possess all the attributes which make God, God!
Those that attack
the Lord Jesus Christ have attacked the Word of God and God Himself!
Why would we not
expect them to see the wrath of God?
Joh 1:1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.
Joh 1:14 And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth.
This is the truth of
the Scriptures!
This is the only
Light that shine shine through the darkness of this world!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
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