The Vineyard of God

God's Vineyard

Book of Isaiah 5

It will clear things up in this chapter if we understand this "vineyard" is a type of "Israel".

Isa 5:7  For the "vineyard" of the LORD of hosts "is the house of Israel", and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. 

We speak of parables often in the New Testament but there are also some parables in the Old Testament.

We must remember the truth of the parable.

A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning and they are always 100% accurate!

We could also say that Isaiah, by the Holy Spirit has written a song about God's chastisement of Israel.

*****Isa 5:1  Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 

Isa 5:2  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 

We could also say that this Singer is the Heavenly Father who is singing to His only begotten Son, the Son of God, with the song itself inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Mat_3:17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

It is only the Christian who will call the Lord, "My well-beloved" besides our "Father in Heaven".

The truth of this song, this parable, is that God the Father, with His own hands, planted the nation of Israel when He called Abraham out of Ur and God did not plant Israel just anywhere but on a very fruitful hill. The "promised land"!

We can look at Israel today and see a land that blossoms because many the Jews have returned home to what was a wilderness that no one on this earth wanted until the Jews returned.

In the day of Isaiah, God is saying that there is no excuse for Israel not to produce fruit acceptable to the Lord! That also still holds for today!

God had placed His hedge of protection around this hill. God had gathered all the refuse and prepared the soil and God had only planted the choicest of vines. God cast out the abominations, all the inhabitants of Canaan and their idols and false gods, to make room for Israel.

God will clear the stumbling blocks from our path if we will only listen to Him. The "Choicest" of all vines is Christianity!

To the Jew, it is God's promise to Abraham.

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 

When God builds His hedge of protection it means not only physical protection but it also means God has distinguished His people from all other laws and statutes and binds them to His own laws and statutes.

It was impossible to be a Jew and be freely attached to the rest of the world.

In fact it is impossible to be a Christian and still be a part of the rest of the world. We live in this world but we are not to be a part of this world!

Why is this so hard to understand?

God had built a tower, which means He would keep a watchful and protective eye on Israel at all times.

God had built a winepress also, because an abundance of fruit should have been forthcoming!

What happened? Only wild grapes grew, the choice vine withered! The Hebrew word "beushiym" means only poison berries or "stinking" "worthless" fruit grew from God's vineyard.

God can say these things of His own children but it would not pay for the world to do so, the Lord is also a jealous God!

This is a sad commentary on the nation of Israel in this day! God still loved them but as far as spreading the Word of God to the known world of that day they were worthless to the Lord!

Jer 2:21  Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? 

God asks these same people, what else could He have done to produce good fruit?

*****Isa 5:3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 

Isa 5:4  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 

Remember this is a parable in a song, an earthly story with a heavenly truth.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

For those who will come face to face with the Lord at the "White Throne of Judgment", I believe this question will be asked again and again, by the Lord.

What could God have done to make His salvation plan any more simple?

The truth is as always, most people just enjoy their sin to much to give it up!

When you enjoy your sin too much to give it up, then a lie becomes more acceptable than the truth!

As far as that vineyard is concerned, the farmer could not have done anything more to produce good fruit. So God says, "why should I be looking for good fruit, when nothing but bad fruit grows".

As far as Judah, and most of these people were of Judah, nothing else could have been done!

Jesus said:

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth"? 

The Lord Jesus will ask many, what else could have been done, because Jesus has given all He had in Heaven and His own life here on Earth that we can be saved!

We must also understand that the "Bride of Christ" is fashioned much like this vineyard of Isaiah's prophesy.

God's "church" consists of a people that the Lord has chosen (the choice vine), then planted on fertile ground and "all the needs" to produce good fruit, has been provided!

What is the truth of God?

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 

Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

SO, God says: "let me tell you what I am going to do"

*****Isa 5:5  And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: 

Isa 5:6  And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 

Isa 5:7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. 

What is the one and only thing that God did? God removed His hedge of protection!

The only thing God has to do to destroy this world is to remove His hand of protection, humans will destroy themselves and this planet we live on!

We see that this is certainly much more than a parable because this passage fully explains what happened to Israel all these years, since that time.

We must understand where there is the privilege of God's protection, then comes obligation and/or duty.

As Christians we are responsible for the privileges that God gives to us!

To some, to accept the Lord is just to miss on Hell but much, much more, is truly expected from God's people but God still allows us to make choices!

My Pastor says all the time that the Holy Spirit was not given to us for our "enjoyment" because He was to given to us for our "employment"!

We don't put on the armor of God just sit around and do nothing, nor do we put it on for our own protection, we put on the armor of God to go to war with the evil in this world!

We will have already secured our place in the New Heaven!

If the Lord had expected good fruit from His chosen nation, then what does the Lord expect from His chosen people, the Church?

The fruit that God expects in each and every one of us, "is the reproduction of the Lord's own Divine nature" in as many others as we can reach with the "Gospel".

How was man first created?

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

This image of God, was lost by Adam when sin was found in him!

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 

Gen 3:18  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 

Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

God's purpose in each of us, is when He can see His own moral likeness formed in us, as we grow in the Lord!

It is to be through the covenant promises, that Israel will have the opportunity to be restored to God's "Grace"!

The Church is to understand and promote these things!

Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 

Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 

***Rom 11:29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 

**Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Knowing these things we see that God pronounced "woe" on all unbelievers.

*****Isa 5:8  Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! 

Isa 5:9  In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. 

Isa 5:10  Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. 

A "woe" is a strong warning from God! From the time of Isaiah and on through our day there continues to be an absorption of small properties by wealthy landowners and after this, next comes evictions.

In Israel when Joshua divided the lands that land was to remain in that family!

In the day of Isaiah this meant a loss of rights of ownership and in some cases even all rights of citizenship. Today even our own government plays this evil game with it's own people.

I can recall the day when the government was called the government of the people and for the people but it seems that all this has changed!

Mic 2:2  And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 

When this happens, honest people become no more than slaves! The public that was once to be served by the government is reversed and it is the people who become the servants. Today in America, many have just accepted this role and about half of our nation even prefer it. Who can figure that one out?

Needless to say God does not like these things. As Christians we were once slaves to Satan and have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus no longer to be slaves of anyone especially our own government!

All lands belong to God and He has determined where we shall live. He will also determine if we need to relocate. If the water is rising where you live maybe you built to close to that water or it's time to move. If you have a continuous drought year after year, maybe you need to relocate rather than blame others.

It is certain that God never intended for a few rich greedy people to possess all the lands.

It is also certain that God never intended for government rights to supercede the rights of the people!

God said the land would become desolate and even unproductive without the people living on it.

This is exactly what happened to Israel's homeland when the Jews were physically removed by foreign governments. It seems that the world has forgotten this.

What is their sin?

Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. 

And God continues:

*****Isa 5:11  Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! 

Isa 5:12  And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands. 

Isa 5:13  Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. 

Isa 5:14  Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. 

Isa 5:15  And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

A person is considered to be drunk when they can no longer function in a normal capacity!

In many cases this is the same time that the urge to consume more occurs and this is when this person is in a state of danger to himself as he has already past that degree of danger to all others.

We should clear up a point before we go any further.

Most people have a belief that God says we should live our life in moderation. They believe there is no sin when we self-govern our desires, our use, and our enjoyment to the things that pertain to this world and they include alcohol and drugs.

To be totally clear there can be no acceptable moderation in sin of any kind!

Though there be other things also, there can be no acceptable moderation in the drinking of alcohol!

Pro 23:29  Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 

Pro 23:30  They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 

Pro 23:31  Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 

Pro 23:32  At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 

If we are not to look upon wine and strong drink then surely we are not to drink it and God does not ever change, so it is never an acceptable practice!

In fact all substance abusers will fall into this same category!

They start drinking in the morning and drink until late into the night.

They go to drunken parties.

They listen to seductive music.

They engage in immoral activities.

They entice as many others as they can to join in their sinful behavior.

They disregard the fact that by "faith" in the work of the Lord, they can be relieved of all these evil things and forgiven.

They give no thought to the "judgment" of the Lord.

We see that word "therefore" which means because of these things.

Just as God had become nauseated by the false worship, God says, the land itself would spue out it's inhabitants and we know that all of Israel went into captivity. The Northern tribes by the Assyrians and the Southern Tribes by Nebuchadnezzar.

All because they had rejected the Word of God!

In fact Jerusalem would be surrounded and all food and water would be cut off and certainly the honorable men would famish in hunger and many would die of thirst.

Death to many today, is conceived as a devouring monster.

There has never been a day since the time of Cain that this world has not seen death!

It is a fact, that death has an enormous appetite that can only be quenched by the Lord Jesus!

Satan may have had some power to influence death and he holds it over the heads of those who reject the Lord but reality death has a new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ! God has always had control of life!

Rev 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and "have the keys of hell and of death". 

All those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, have doomed themselves to death and the grave and then eternal damnation!

God created the Burning Lake of fire for the Satan and the angels that followed him but Hell has had to enlarge itself over and over again to accept those whose father is the Devil.

Pro 27:20  Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Not only do the rich and the poor fall into the same trap but at every age since the beginning of time, these things have not changed. It seems we can never learn from the mistakes of the past and we have certainly rejected the lessons learned from the past!

What is the truth? The people of this earth wallow in their own dillusions!

God says, the mean man shall be brought down.

God says, the mighty man shall be humbled.

God says, the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

These things will happen because God will "judge" this world in righteousness!

*****Isa 5:16  But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. 

Isa 5:17  Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. 

What is the reality of God's "Judgment"?

God "insist" that this world follow in His righteousness and God's "judgment" will allow this to happen.

We know the Lord of Host, as the Lord Jesus Christ, they are one and the same!

Jesus Christ is the Lord of the armies of Heaven:

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 

Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 

Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 

Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 

Christ Jesus is truly God over all things and He is certainly Holy!

"Righteousness", means God will only do things that are always the right thing to do!

And what happens after the "judgment of God".

There are two ways to look at this Scripture.

1) The judgment of God brought utter devastation to Jerusalem in the time of Titus of Rome. Foreign nations swept across Israel destroying everything in their path, leaving behind only a place fit to graze sheep upon.

Isa 32:14  Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 

Isa 32:15  Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. 

2) This wilderness will become fruitful and the redeemed of the Lord will feed without fear and the Gentiles who had never heard the Word of God, who are aliens from the common wealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the Lord, can now be fed in the waste places of the fat ones.

Amo 9:14  And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 

Amo 9:15  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. 

So God continues, woe to them that reject the truth.

*****Isa 5:18  Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: 

Isa 5:19  That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! 

If we can imagine a spiders web, we can understand these are cords of vanity. Each sin then is like unto a small strand of the spiders web that is fragile and easily broken but as each sin is added it becomes part of a web that becomes strong enough to trap the innocent and lead them to their eternal death.

In the end, that multitude of sin draws on one another until sin becomes as a cart rope from which we are unable to free ourselves and we become slaves to another master, which is Satan.

Job 8:13  So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: 

Job 8:14  Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. 

These are the same people who reject the Word of God and reject that God will punish anyone.

They do not believe any of God's prophets and they reject any and all warnings from the Word of God!

God says that those that think in this fashion are simply "fools"!

Psa 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. 

Psa 14:2  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 

Psa 14:3  They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 

But God still warns the others:

*****Isa 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 

There is no better day than today, when we can openly see these things right before our eyes!

It seems that our society seeks an excuse to accept every sin of the human imagination!

They say, thief is only a thief because of the way he was raised and deserve pity rather than punishment.

They say, the murderer was abused when they were young and deserve pity rather than punishment.

They say, Even the terrorist who has allowed a twisted religion to control his life, deserves our pity rather than punishment.

They say, that people should be able to determine if they are are male or female in their own minds and live accordingly.

God says they have only become "reprobates"!

And all those that think differently are now considered to be evil!

There are also those who rely on religion and religious practices rather than "faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ and even Jesus is looked upon as evil and the blood of Jesus is looked upon as filth.

There are those who pick and choose from the Word of God, like they are in some cafeteria with a menu, when all the Word of God rightly divided is to be followed.

Then there are those who love the praise of men more than they love the praise of God!

The truth is, whatever doctrine that is contrary to the nature and the attributes of God is then evil and there can be no excuses for sin!

We are to always hate sin but we are never to hate the sinner. This is showing pity to that sinner but the punishment for sin must still be administered and those that know the truth of God and do the truth of God, are never to be considered evil.

If God is not good, because He says He is, then the Word of God is only a book of lies, which is certainly not true!

God has no evil in Him at all, because He is a righteous God, which means God always does things that are the right thing to do because this is His true nature!

We live in a world today where most of mankind have lost the notions of what is good and what is evil!

We live in a world that is confused about morality!

We live in a world today that is sinking deeper and deeper into sin.

We live in a world today where a group of people have declared that they have the right to live their life in any way that they please and no one has the right to tell them differently!

We live in a world today where people's values have become totally twisted and polluted, in fact perverted!

Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 

Evil is called good and good is called evil and those that disagree are called deplorables!

Whatever people decide to do, they feel they have the freedom to do so and no one has the freedom to stop them!

Pro 17:15  He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. 

But God is not yet through:

*****Isa 5:21  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 

The truth is, as a people, especially the people of so-called rich nations and nations that rely on might, there exist a delusive estimate of human wisdom which brings with it the worst form of "pride".

What does God say"

Jas 3:13  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 

Jas 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 

Jas 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 

Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 

Jas 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 

No doubt that this part of Isaiah's vision is centered on the politicians and the so-called elite of our world.

These are some of the same ones who deny the Word of God and rely on so-called scientist, who have already gone against the the description of true science and no longer depend on facts but only on conjecture without actual proof. Theory, and wrong theory have overcome the science world!

Much money could be saved if the world would just hire the soothsayer or the astrologer because there is not much difference in them and what is called science today!

Self-conceit causes ignorance and vanity, but never true wisdom!

Pro 26:12  Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. 

The truth is we live a world ruled by reprobates and fools, who have deceived even their own selves and the rest just see an opportunity to get rich off of that deception!

And again God mentions those who drink of alcohol:

*****Isa 5:22  Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 

Isa 5:23  Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 

How can there be so many instances in the Word of God, where God condemns alcoholic beverages and so many teach that moderation still is the rule. These are some of the same who have rejected the truth of God!

This would also include any and all substances that can alter the mind!

Those who want a high should try to get high on the Holy Spirit, there is no greater realism of awareness!

No doubt that this Scripture makes reference to unjust lawyers and unjust judges who are not fit to sit in judgment of people, who do the same thing.

These same people should never judge people who abide by the Word of God!

The truth is, they will only judge for rewards of some sort. Not all rewards are financial! Some rewards come from being moved to a higher bench just because they are willing to go along with others who reject the truth of God. They make up the laws as they go!

Pro 29:26  Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD. 

Pro 29:27  An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. 

Now we will see that word "therefore" which means because of all these things comes the "judgment of God".

*****Isa 5:24  "Therefore" as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 

When we began it was noted that Israel was God's vineyard, so we can see how great was this ruin of Israel.

The key sin was that they had "cast away the law of the Lord of hosts (Jesus Christ is the Lord of the angelic host and the armies of God) and they had despised the Word of God. (The "Grace Of God" had been received in vain!)

Now we know that God does not ever change, so these things will hold true for all who do these things!

We can definitely see that these are the things that will bring the wrath of God!

Again that word "therefore" for these reasons:

*****Isa 5:25  "Therefore" is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 

Isa 5:26  And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly: 

Isa 5:27  None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: 

Isa 5:28  Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind: 

Isa 5:29  Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. 

God's judgment will be quick and it will be sudden and it will be complete!

The reason for God's judgment is unmistakable! These people had rejected the Word of God!

The Word of God is not only a guide for this life but a guide to lead us to eternal life!

God will begin with a great earthquake:

Isa 29:8  It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. 

The Apostle Paul wrote these words by the Holy Spirit:

Rom 11:7  What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 

Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 

We should understand that it was Isaiah who prophesied of this time in which Israel is still in even in this day!

Isa 29:10  For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. 

God's hand is still stretched out against Israel and will remain so until Israel as a nation and as a people return to the Lord.

2Ch_7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

These things are not said about any other people and Israel will not return to the Lord until they go through the 7 year tribulation period and at the Second Coming of the Lord. (Verse 26)

Zec 10:8  I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. 

They will in that day return speedily to the Lord!

Though many will come from long distances, none will be weary.

None of them will stumble or fail to get to the Lord they, will easily overcome all the difficulties.

They shall not desire even to rest as they are prepared to serve the Lord of Host.

Nothing on this earth can stop them from going home!

As the battle draws near they will roar with enthusiasm and this roaring will terrify their enemies!

As the world is in the darkness of Armageddon, a light from Heaven will light the way of God's redeemed!

So, we see the warning has been issued. God will one day judge this earth!

There is coming a day when everyone will give an account for what they have done!

Those that have accepted the truth of the Word of God, whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will miss the Great Tribulation and return with the Lord at His Second Coming!

Those Jews who have returned to the Lord will go through the Tribulation and return to the Lord before Armageddon.

Those who are saved during the tribulation period will for the most part become martyr's and also return with the Lord.

Those that have rejected the Word of God and His Lord of Host, "Jesus Christ" will be consumed in the flames of the Burning Lake of Fire, along with Satan, the False Prophet, and the False Spirit of evil.

What is the truth?

Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 

There is really not that much time to accept the calling of God, because we simply do not know the day of our death.

As each day passes we are another day closer to the return of the Lord and when He returns it will be very quick!

Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 

Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 

Questions?

Let's Pray!