Peace Like a River
Book of Isaiah
Chapter 66
It has been a great
trip through the Book of Isaiah and we only just touched on parts
this great book of the Bible.
The greatest
understanding, we can have is that our world of today is moving
quickly toward the great climax of all the "ages" that God
has so methodically laid out.
Anyone who cannot
understand that God has systematically laid our creation and the
creation of this cosmos and His plan to find a people who choose to
spend eternity in the presence of their Creator do not understand our
God!
The next thing on
God's clock is the calling out of the Church, then the 7-years
Tribulation Period, followed by the 1000 years of the Millennial
Reign of King Jesus. Only after these things will there be a New
Heaven, a New Earth, and a New Jerusalem!
Just knowing the
truth of our existence is the first step to bring to us that true
peace to the soul!
We know as
Christians that there is an awful lot of talk about the Temple Mount
and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. It is a fact that the Jewish
Temple will be rebuilt possibly even 2 more times.
It is a fact that
the Lord Jesus will sit on the throne of David and rule this world
for 1000 years. Would that throne be inside the rebuilt Temple?
The throne of the
Jewish kings has never been inside the Temple!
In fact, what did
God say?
Isa_16:5 And in
mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in
truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and
hasting righteousness.
When would this take
place?
Amo_9:11 In that
day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close
up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will
build it as in the days of old:
That day will be the
day the Lord returns!
Act_15:16 After
this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David,
which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I
will set it up:
The pure truth of
God is that He will never dwell in a Temple made by the hands of man!
A tabernacle is a
tent that is not a permanent structure. The tabernacle of David was
put up to house the Ark of the Covenant to the Jews and the Mercy
Seat to all who will call upon His name.
Understanding the
truth of God will certainly bring to us that peace that those who
cling to this world simply cannot understand!
Psa 46:4 There is a
river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy
place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Peace like a river!
God may visit this
man-made Temple but He will never dwell there permanently!
Act 7:48 Howbeit
the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the
prophet,
Act 7:49 Heaven is
my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me?
saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Act 7:50 Hath not
my hand made all these things?
What is the truth of
our God?
Psa 11:4 The LORD
is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes
behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
Why will the Lord
build a New Heaven? Because sin began in Heaven with Lucifer and it
is no longer a decent place for the Lord to present His Church to His
Father! Any place that has seen sin would not be a proper place for
the Lord to live with His Bride!
Today our Holy God
will only dwell in the heart of the believer because each believer is
the handiwork of our Savior!
We must remember
Isaiah was a prophet of God to give us the truth of our God, the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!
*****Isa 66:1 Thus
saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my
footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the
place of my rest?
Isa 66:2 For all
those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been,
saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor
and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
God lives and dwells
in the heart of the "believer" so Heaven is then the place
where God shows His "Majesty'!
Psa 145:12 To make
known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of
his kingdom.
Jesus said we would
all live in the Father's house in the glorious "majesty" of
His Kingdom and Jesus "do not be troubled" about what is
happening in this world where we are only pilgrims passing through!
Joh 14:1 Let not
your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my
Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And
whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
None of these things
can be built by man!
God has been very
patient during the "Church Age" (which the length of time
only the Father knows), to see that all these things come about and
when the Church is "jerked out" of this evil world, this
will set things in motion that are timed until they reach a point of
no time or eternity!
We do not know the
length of the Church Age but it is obvious that it is coming to an
end.
We know there will
be 7 years of Tribulation.
We know there will
be 1000 years of King Jesus on this earth.
Then eternity will
be a place of no time (time as we know it will end)!
Where is the place
that God can rest? (but to this man will I look, even to him that is
poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word)
Isa 57:15 For thus
saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is
Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isa 57:16 For I
will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the
spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
Jesus said: (blessed
are the poor in Spirit, "for theirs" is the Kingdom of
Heaven)
A "contrite"
spirit is in all those who have been beaten and battered by the works
of Satan!
The evidences of a
contrite spirit are:
1) Deep conviction
of the evil of sin.
2) Humiliation for
partaking in sin.
3) Sorrow for having
sinned.
4) True confession
of our sin.
5) Prayer for the
deliverance of sin.
6) Being Born Again.
The answer is the
Lord Jesus Christ
Rom 10:9 That if
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.
Rom 10:10 For with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
To tremble at the
Word of God is to accept it as the truth even every point of
punctuation!
Mat_5:18 For verily
I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
It seems the
modern-day Christian has forgotten many of these things!
Those that go their
own way will never get to see the "majesty" of the New
Heaven!
*****Isa 66:3 He
that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a
lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as
if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he
blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul
delighteth in their abominations.
Isa 66:4 I also
will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them;
because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not
hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I
delighted not.
God says those that
go their own way not having a "contrite spirit" and then
try to offer sacrifices to Him are no more than murderers!
We cannot have one
foot in the world and one foot in the Church and think we are saved,
God says this is an abomination to Him.
Think about all the
abominations to the Lord and then include this one to know those
whose company you keep!
A dog was considered
an unclean animal to eat, though this is done in many places in this
world but God will not accept those who are unclean and they will
remain unclean until they have a "contrite spirit", no
matter what the false doctrines that are taught today say!
Those who do not
have a "contrite spirit' and make any sort of sacrifice to the
Lord are no better than those who worship idols!
God says they have
chosen their own way and their own way is the way of delusions!
Have you seen a
child pitch a fit because they did not get their way?
This is the world we
live in today just check the evening news!
They just getting
warmed up for the arrival of the Lord for this will be the way of the
lost on the "Day of the Lord".
They will be
delusional, pitching a fit that turns to anger, just because they
realize that they have been wrong all this time in defying the Living
God!
The truth is
everyone will get an opportunity to either choose or to reject the
Word of God and His salvation plan.
God says when He
called they acted like they did not hear and instead they
intentionally did evil before His eyes.
This to, is the way
of our world today!
They that
deliberately rebel against the Word of God will certainly answer for
this terrible mistake in judgment!
*****Isa 66:5 Hear
the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that
hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD
be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be
ashamed.
Isa 66:6 A voice of
noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD
that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
We must know that
any person that goes through the motions of worship but is not
submissive to the Lord, will be rejected by the Lord!
God is also making
us very aware that the Words spoken by all the Prophets of God are to
be considered His Own Words!
God has said this
repeatedly!
It is obvious that
God is aware that once we accept the Word of God as the complete,
inerrant truth and we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our
personal Savior, the world will hate us.
Many Christians were
cast out of the Temple and the Synagogues.
Many Christians were
cast out of their nation.
Many Christians were
cast out of Rome.
Luk 21:12 But
before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute
you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being
brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13 And it
shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it
therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall
answer:
Luk 21:15 For I
will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall
not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Today, we know that
even in America, the Christian is being asked to leave.
Even this month
(08/03/2017) I read where the liberals of the Vatican are condemning
the conservatives for not accepting their beliefs.
And this same month
(08/16/2017) Putin of Russia declared that the Pope did not follow
the Words of the God of the Bible, which in fact is true!
This is the world we
live in today.
It is a reality,
that if we accept the Word of God as the absolute truth and tremble
at His Words, our brethren will hate us and try to cast us out and
away from trying to make a difference in this world.
What does God say?
Rom_16:17 Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Why?
All we need do is
look around and see the things that are done in the midst of us as a
people!
All we need do is
see what evil teaching is doing to our children and our societies!
1) God says to
listen to the state of our society and hear the noise that is coming
from our cities and our governments.(In other words just look at the
news every day and see the bad news)
2) God says to
listen to the twisted words that tickle the ears coming from the
pulpits.
1Ti 4:1 Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking
lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding
to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath
created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and
know the truth.
3) God say to take
notice of the voice of the Lord, who will bring "judgment"
upon these who do such things!
2Ti 4:1 I charge
thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge
the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Rev 20:11 And I saw
a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for
them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the
sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire.
What else does God
say?
God says the He will
appear to our joy and it is they who will be ashamed! (This is
Spiritual)
God also is
referring to the fact that all prophecy will be fulfilled and Israel
will be restored! (This is physical)
We must notice how
far God allows His prophet to see into the future!
*****Isa 66:7
Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she
was delivered of a man child.
Isa 66:8 Who hath
heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be
made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once?
for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
Isa 66:9 Shall I
bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD:
shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
Facts:
1) The day King
Cyrus decided to allow the Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, the
Nation of Israel was born in one day.
Ezr 1:1 Now in the
first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the
mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit
of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all
his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Ezr 1:2 Thus saith
Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the
kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house
at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
2) The day that the
Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, the Church was born in one
day and the church can never be destroyed!
Isa 7:14 Therefore
the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Luk 2:10 And the
angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luk 2:11 For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ
the Lord.
3) Even with the
devastation of Rome that continued throughout history until May 14,
1948, again the nation of Israel was reborn in one day!
4) Even further down
the road in prophecy, in just one day that only the Lord knows, there
will be a new birth as the Nation of Israel will once again be
revealed as the people of God.
King Jesus will sit
upon the throne of King David!
Luk_1:32 He shall
be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord
God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
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.
We are foolish not
to believe the prophecies of the Word of God and see that God has
allowed these men to see farther into the History of this world that
we can ever realize!
God simply says that
we are foolish if we cannot believe He can cause these things to
happen!
God loves the tiny
nation of Israel and God loves Jerusalem and God loves the Church!
*****Isa 66:10
Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love
her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
Isa 66:11 That ye
may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that
ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
God shows us
Jerusalem (Zion) as a mother mourning for her children to come home.
In fact, we as
Christians should all mourn until the joy of Jerusalem takes place.
If we love the Lord,
we must also love Jerusalem and all the nation of Israel and rejoice,
not only with her today, but rejoice in what lies in her future.
We also know that
Zion also refers to the Church and we need to mourn for the Church,
as many who say they are of the church move away from the Lord Jesus
Christ and travel the road to destruction but we must also rejoice
with the knowledge that we know the end of things and we that trust
in the Lord Jesus Christ are on the winning side!
The Church will
return with Christ Jesus when He comes to sit on His throne in
Jerusalem, so we will also be a part of Jerusalem and the New
Jerusalem.
All that love
Jerusalem will rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her now and
forever!
This also is a
command of God that can help us today!
Psa 122:6 Pray for
the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
How can we sing the
song of the Lord and ignore His love for Jerusalem?
Psa 137:4 How shall
we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?
Psa 137:5 If I
forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
Psa 137:6 If I do
not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I
prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
Consolations mean,
it is in Jerusalem where God's people will find comfort along with a
refreshment of their minds and their spirits, together with hope, joy
and courage!
There is coming the
day when Jerusalem will again grow from the Word of God!
1Pe 2:1 Wherefore
laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies,
and all evil speakings,
1Pe 2:2 As newborn
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1Pe 2:3 If so be ye
have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Then in the entire
world there will be "peace like a river"!
There is no reason
for the Church of Jesus Christ not to have that "peace like a
river" today!
*****Isa 66:12 For
thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye
suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her
knees.
Most everyone finds
rivers to be peaceful, I know I do. God created the means for rivers
to be that peace for us because again God will always give us example
after example in His created world to remind us of the beauty of the
spiritual world!
Psa 46:4 There is a
river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy
place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Psa 46:5 God is in
the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and
that right early.
Even all these
things are to remind us of our Savior!
Joh 7:37 In the
last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water.
Joh 4:13 Jesus
answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.
This river also
represents prosperity and without teaching a prosperity "Gospel",
salvation is a very prosperous event for every life, some here on
earth but especially in Heaven.
It is the peace of
God that is a well of water springing up in the depths of the Holy
Spirit and everlasting life!
When the Lord sits
on His throne in Jerusalem and the Jews have returned to Him after so
many years of rejection, then it will be the Gentile nations that
have made it through the 7-year Tribulation Period that will dandled
on the knees of Jerusalem!
We know that the
Church is made up of all nations during the Church Age and return
with Christ but these are the tribulation Saints!
The world that
remains will know the comfort of a loving Savior in the city that He
loves so much!
*****Isa 66:13 As
one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall
be comforted in Jerusalem.
Isa 66:14 And when
ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish
like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his
servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
The one person
almost everyone who lives today respects is, their mother.
The Holy Spirit was
the cause of the birth of Christ but the virgin Mary was His mother!
Jesus had a mother. Even our God has felt the love of a mother!
God clearly
understands how a mother can comfort her children and God says He
will be that comfort to those who love Him!
The exiles of the
Jews will all one day find the comfort of God and they will find that
comfort in Jerusalem, the Church will already be there as the Church
had returned with the Lord.
We will all find
true comfort in the New Jerusalem!
Gal_4:26 But
Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
God is our Creator,
our Father, our Savior, our Messiah, and God has more love than we
can ever know and much of that love can be described as the love that
a mother has for her child.
God describes His
love in the most tender and compassionate way that He can!
1Jn_4:7 Beloved,
let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1Jn_4:8 He that
loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
During the worship
service of these Jews, they sang many Psalms and one the favorites in
times of sorrow was Psalms 31, a Psalm of David.
Psa 31:10 For my
life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength
faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
God says these
things will change for those who love the Lord and those dry bones
would flourish like an herb.
In the hand of the
Lord is all power! The power of the Father, the power of the Son and
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Just as the Church
and those who repent and return to the Lord will flourish in
Jerusalem, those that hated God would see that same hand of power
used in indignation toward His enemies!
*****Isa 66:15 For,
behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a
whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames
of fire.
Isa 66:16 For by
fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the
slain of the LORD shall be many.
Obviously, we now
see what is the "Day of the Lord"!
The phrase the "Day
of the Lord" is found 31 times in the Scriptures.
What will happen in
that period known as the "Day of the Lord"?
Isa_13:9 Behold,
the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger,
to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof
out of it.
Many times, the Lord
has said that "vengeance was His and the "Day of the Lord"
is the period in which the Lord will take His vengeance out on all
those that reject the Word of God!
Isa_34:8 For it is
the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the
controversy of Zion.
2Pe_3:10 But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up.
The Lord is very
serious about ridding this world of sin!
In the day of Noah,
God used the flood waters.
At the end of the
Church Age God will use the flaming fire!
The truth of fire is
that fire will consume until it runs out of fuel or oxygen is
depleted. This fire will consume all the things that are under the
power of God's enemies!
Like a terrible
sweeping tornado made of fire rather than wind, this describes the
sweeping judgment of God.
Those that rebuke
the Word of God now, God will rebuke with fire and His Sword.
We know that from
the time of Noah until the day we live now, God has pleaded with
sinners using His Words but when the Word of God is unconvincing to
some, God will plead with them with "fire", with
pestilence, with blood, things they certainly understand, for they
have been the cause of so much of their own misery.
Sadly, the slain of
the Lord will be many!
All those who
worship in places other than the true Church, will be slain!
*****Isa 66:17 They
that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind
one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and
the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:18 For I
know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will
gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my
glory.
What is an apostate?
In simple terms, they are those who have rejected the Church. The
Church is not a building but Christians who profess Jesus Christ to
be the Savior to the world and of all mankind.
Or we could use
God's definition in verse 17!
To be sanctified is
to be set apart for God' use. An apostate sanctifies themselves for
their own desires regardless of others!
To purify, is to be
free from the penalty of sin and can only be done by the Lord Jesus
Christ!
An apostate will use
their own methods with things that are idols. Idols are anything that
come between us and Jehovah God!
These animals
mentioned were an abomination for the Jews to consume. An apostate is
then anyone who goes against the Word of God!
Note: These are some
of the same animals that have been made gods by apostate peoples.
Note: The
Philistine, which are called Palestinian today, worshiped rodents.
God says all
apostates will be consumed when He gathers them all together.
Rev 16:13 And I saw
three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,
and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false
prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they
are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the
kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I
come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon.
Remember not one
apostate can stand before the glory of God and live!
Exo 33:18 And he
said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
Exo 33:19 And he
said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will
proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew
mercy.
Exo 33:20 And he
said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and
live.
Only the "Redeemed"
of the Lord can come "Face to Face" with the Lord and live!
1Jn_3:2 Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.
God will send them
one more sign before all these things happen.
There will be some
who repent and return to the Lord.
Rev 11:13 And the
same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the
city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand:
and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
*****Isa 66:19 And
I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of
them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow,
to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my
fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory
among the Gentiles.
There will always be
some who have never heard the Word of God, who will then escape the
pollutions of this world and give glory to the Lord in "every
age"!
For "whosoever"
will call upon the name of the Lord "shall" be saved!
(These words will never change but it will always take a pure heart
of faith)
It is probable that
these are part of the 144,000 Jews set aside for the work of the Lord
but they could also be Gentiles converted and become missionaries.
Rev 7:2 And I saw
another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living
God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it
was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Rev 7:3 Saying,
Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have
sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Rev 7:4 And I heard
the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an
hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children
of Israel.
All these nations
mentioned are the descendants of Japheth and now another prophecy
will have been fulfilled.
Gen 9:27 God shall
enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan
shall be his servant.
The task of these
missionaries is to return all the Jews to their homeland.
*****Isa 66:20 And
they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out
of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon
mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith
the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean
vessel into the house of the LORD.
Isa 66:21 And I
will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
God has made this
great promise to the Jews and He will fulfill this promise!
Neh_1:9 But if ye
turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there
were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will
I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I
have chosen to set my name there.
Eze_20:41 I will
accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the
people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been
scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
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.
It is these Jews who
will be servants to the new Rebuilt Temple.
Then the Lord
assures all His "redeemed", Jew and Gentile of our
wonderful future.
*****Isa 66:22 For
as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain
before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
The truth:
The New Heaven and
the New Earth will be for eternity before the Lord!
The name of Israel
could be said to be "the people who wrestled with God and won"
instead of principalities and powers, and rulers of darkness, and
spiritual wickedness!
Eph 6:12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Here again we see
that even when the Lord makes this earth to like the Garden of Eden
for 1000 years it will still not be our eternal home!
The Lord will never
live where there was once sin. Therefore, a New Heaven and a New
Earth will be made by the hands of God!
How can we best
describe eternity?
There will not be a
moment that we will not worship the Lord?
*****Isa 66:23 And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from
one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me,
saith the LORD.
How can we put the
meaning of eternity in words so others can understand? Eternity is a
never-ending day!
When get to Heave
and meet our loved ones they will say it has only been a moment since
they arrived they we arrive.
Isaiah says every
day in the month will be the same.
Isaiah says every
day in the week will be the same.
Eternity is then a
never-ending day, a day that has no end!
To the Jew life will
become a perpetual Sabbath!
To the Church life
will become a perpetual "Lord's Day"!
It would be unreal
to believe that all flesh could gather in one place on this earth to
worship the Lord but we can all gather in Heaven where there is
plenty of room to worship our Savior and our God!
Joh 4:21 Jesus
saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Jesus Christ did not
condemn worship on the mountains if it was directed at Jehovah.
Jesus Christ did not
condemn worship in Jerusalem if it was directed at Jehovah.
Jesus Christ said
that all who worship the true God of this cosmos must rise above
these limitations.
In Heaven, all
limitations of worship will disappear!
If you do not like
worship then you will not enjoy Heaven at all!
The last days of the
Millennial Kingdom will usher in the wonderful gift of eternal life!
At the end of this
1000 years God's people will be the only members of humanity that is
left on this earth except for all those who will spend eternity in
the "Burning Lake of Fire".
*****Isa 66:24 And
they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have
transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall
their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh.
This will be the
place of all those who are apostates!
This will be the
place of all those who have rejected the truth of God!
To the Jews, this
place was called Gehenna. This was the place where all the filth was
cast and consumed by fire that was always burning.
Rev 20:11 And I saw
a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for
them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the
sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire.
Notice that their
worm would never die and they would suffer through their own
eternity.
This is the place of
that we as Christians known as the "Burning Lake of Fire"!
Those who are "Born
Again" will die once but there will be no "second death"
for them!
Those who reject the
truth of God will "die twice"!
As we see these
things, in fact as we are a part of this "White Throne Judgment"
will be the greatest reason God will wipe away all the tears we will
shed for those who have missed out on Heaven!
Rev 21:1 And I saw
a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his
people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.
This is when we will
truly know the peace of God, (peace like a river)
The peace we can
have now, knowing we will be a part of this glorious non-ending day!
We now know why
Isaiah did not write even more for us.
1) God had given us
all we needed for this great prophet of God.
2) Isaiah was
murdered for preaching all these words and especially these in the
end!
The world hates us
for repeating the Words of Isaiah and all the Words of the Scriptures
but God says repeat them and repeat them because there are still some
who will hear and believe!
Mat_28:19 Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
It is a sad fact the
when the Scriptures of Isaiah are read in the Jewish synagogues, his
prophecies are never read by the Rabbis.
Let's Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem, and that "peace like a river"!
Amen
