Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Book of Isaiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book of Isaiah. Show all posts

Sunday, August 6, 2017

God Reveals His Righteousness to All People

God's Righteousness Revealed to the Gentiles

Book of Isaiah Chapter 62

In the time of Isaiah, the Jews did not have good thoughts for the Gentile nations and who could blame them. It had been a daily battle to protect themselves from the Gentile nations for many years and they were now in captivity to Babylon who had physically removed them from their own land. They considered all Gentiles to be their enemy!

They had failed to consider that it was not the Gentiles who were their problem, it was the fact that they had turned away from God themselves!

We all tend to blame others for problems we create for ourselves!

When we forsake the Lord, we cause ourselves multiple problems that can only be solved when we return to the Lord!

The nation of Israel was like an adulterous wife had forsaken the Lord.

They had made Jehovah God to be their enemy!

Jer 21:4 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.
Jer 21:5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Lam 2:4 He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.
Lam 2:5 The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
Lam 2:6 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

This is a great lesson for all who know the Lord to learn!

What does God teach all nations Jew and Gentile?

We are to hate sin, "But We Are Never To Hate The Sinner"!

Until the Lord returns, He will chastise all those who love Him but He will never forsake them.
Until the Lord returns, everyone will have the same opportunity to have "Victory in Jesus" but those who reject Him will certainly face the "Wrath of God"!

Until this time, which only the Lord knows, God will accept "whosoever" will call upon His name!

We must remember it was humans who designated the chapters and verse numbers so let's once again look at the previous verse:

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 not rest until everyone upon the face of this earth gets an opportunity to know the righteousness of our Holy God!

Those who know the righteousness of God will certainly be the same ones who will praise God for what He has done!

Today a Gentile is considered to be anyone who is not a Jew.
A Gentile is anyone who worships a god other than Jehovah God. Which means all those who are not true Jew and true Christian.
Even the true Jew is not a Christian until they accept the Lord Jesus Christ and today those that do are known as Messianic Jews.

We should all consider that the Jew has never been told to forsake the laws of Moses but they have been told to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and no more sacrifice for sin is necessary.

In the Scriptures, the Gentile is also named heathen or we would say "pagans".

God still loves all pagans, or all heathen, or all Gentiles no matter how we say it!

*****Isa 62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

Again, we need to be reminded that the Prophet Isaiah was murdered for preaching the message he was given by the Holy Spirit and we should consider these Scriptures as God speaking to us, Himself!

Zion is the little mountain where the city of Jerusalem was built and in many Scriptures, it is called the "City of David".

BUT, Zion can also mean the "people of God"!

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We already know God has a great zeal to fulfill all His promises.
God will not rest until all those who want to spend eternity with Him have made that known to Him!
AND, God will not rest until that glorious change in children of Israel has been accomplished!

Our salvation is assured by the inerrant Word of God, if we call on the name of Jesus in "faith"!

For many hundreds of years God has worked through the Jews to bring salvation to the world. It is easy to say the Jews failed and they may have failed the full intention of the Lord but if not for them, we as Gentiles would still have never known the salvation of the Lord!

Jesus Christ, the true Messiah came as a Jew. The Apostles were Jews. The Apostle Paul was a Jew.

It is these Jews by the Word of God who had been given the job of continuing with the salvation plan of God until once again the Jew will carry this message to the world.

There is coming the day when the righteousness and salvation of Zion will shine forth brighter than the dawn of a new Sun!

The Lord has instructed the Church to continue in His brightness until He returns to sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem and then these words will be fulfilled!

Mat_5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

That continuously burning lamp is a type of the presence of Jehovah and then the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the express image of His Father in Heaven.

Heb_1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill all the Old Testament prophecy!

Mal_4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid the sin debt for, not only all humans but for all God's creation, He became our "new owner".

As much as this world will deny it, they all belong to Satan, the Devil, until they call on the name of Jesus Christ!

This world is the Lord's "purchased" property and He is coming to lay claim on His purchase at any time!

Notice the Lord will not hold His peace. It will be a time of God's wrath until He accomplishes His goal.
Notice also, the Lord will not rest until the salvation lamp burns brightly in Jerusalem and seen throughout this world!

*****Isa 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

This Scripture gives us a great reference to the day Our Lord will sit as King, as the Messiah, as He rules from Jerusalem for 1000 years!

The Scripture also describes the Gentiles (those who have not known the truth of God) as they view the righteousness of Zion (the true Church), at the beginning of the Millennial reign of the Lord.

They will say: "see how these Christians love one another and love their God" (the 2 commandments of Jesus Christ)

Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

It will also be a time of Israel's final glory.

All leaders of nations that remain will acknowledge that all laws will come from Israel and King Jesus.

This will not be as hard as people think because the same Word of God that we have now will be the source of all law.

The Word of God will never change!

Psa_119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

If God's Word is settled in Heaven then it cannot be changed by the people of any age!

It is a shame that so many try to change what God has said, today!

What will a new name do?

1) It will abolish the old name! The title Saint will replace, idolater, spiritual adulterer, sinner. (Condemnation replaced with justification)!
2) It will abolish the old character! There is a new birth, new nature, new life.
3) It will be significant of a New Acceptance, a New Honor! From an old shack to a mansion. From Salvation to Glorification!

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

I don't know about anyone else but the Lord can give me any name He chooses and call me by whatever He will, because I will be with Him throughout eternity!

Psa_84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

How will the Lord present His Church to the world?

*****Isa 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

1) A Crown of Glory is described as an ornament of "Grace" in Proverbs 4:9 and we are saved by the "Grace" of God.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

A Crown of Glory represents the Lord's workmanship toward His Church.

2) A Crown of Glory is described as a diadem of beauty in Isaiah 28:5. The Crown of Glory, replacing my own crown of pride!

3) A Crown of Glory is described as the head of those who have grown old who have remained in the Lord since the day they accepted Him as their Savior and have remained in righteousness all their days. Righteous in the way they served their own families and noticed by our Heavenly Father. Proverbs 16:31

Pro 17:6 Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

4) A Crown of Glory is promised to all those who have become ministers of the Word of God, when the Chief Shepherd (The Messiah) returns to take His Church home! 1 Pe 5:4

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

All the world will see the Glorified Saints of God, the Bride of Christ, on display in all her glory presented by her Husband, The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The world may call us by many names but when we wear the "Seal of the Holy Spirit" what the world says does not matter!

*****Isa 62:4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

Forsaken means to be deserted, or left, or abandoned.

It is true that the people of Israel and even Jerusalem felt that Lord had forsaken them for what God would say was a short time because we do not live in the same time as our God.

Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

There shall come a time when Israel will also understand these words!

Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Rom_11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

If we would use the time scale of this world for our daily activities but live in the time scale that God has given to us, we would understand in what "Age" we live and know that the "Church Age" is coming to an end very soon!

We have seen so many things fulfilled in accordance with the Word of God that we should know this thing! (God said to be watchers)

Luk_21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

It’s not time to hang our heads in failure or in sadness, it’s time to look up and know we will soon be going home!

Israel will no longer be forsaken, (the people nor the land), and we are already seeing signs that this is also true!

Hephizibah means "the land God takes His delight in"

What has God promised?

Eze 36:34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
Eze 36:35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.
Eze 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

Beulah means "the land that is married to its people". (We sing that song "Beulah Land" because we are married to Heaven)

Again, we see the beginning of this happening before our eyes today in Israel.

The Lord uses the term "marriage" in the sense of a permanent bond in all cases.

Eph_5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

One day soon we will truly live in Beulah land because it is the place where the Lord dwells and we will be with Him!

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.

And the Church will be joined with those of Israel who have gone through the "Time of Jacob's Trouble".

Hos 2:19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
Hos 2:20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

*****Isa 62:5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

The city of Jerusalem will be filled with only believers and the Lord will rejoice over Jerusalem like a bridegroom over his new bride!

We see that the Lord has chosen Jerusalem at this time.

Psa_132:13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.

In "typology" the Jerusalem we see for 1000 years is a type of the New Jerusalem that will be for eternity!

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.

God has determined that the Messiah will return to set up His Kingdom upon this earth for 1000 years.

The government will be housed at Jerusalem.

The glory of the Lord will go forth from Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesus Christ will make Jerusalem the praise of the earth!

*****Isa 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
Isa 62:7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

In the days of Isaiah, the watchmen were the men who were assigned the task of guarding the city from a surprise attack.

We should consider that the Church has returned with the Lord now and all believers are to be "watchmen" which includes being "prayer warriors" today!

We are to never hold our peace and never keep silent about the wonderful works of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom_2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

We are always to cry out to the Lord to fulfill His promises.

We must never forget, We Stand or fall on The Promises of God!

In fact, in this Scripture, we are wrong when we do not pray for God to fulfill the promises He has made to us!

We must remember this parable: (also remembering a parable is an earthly story with a Heavenly meaning)

Luk 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luk 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

We can go boldly to the throne of God but be humble when we get there and we must certainly go often!

We must give the Lord no rest in our prayers until He returns to take us home but we must also remain just as busy as the Lord, until that glorious day arrives!

The closer we are to the Lord, the greater our growth in "Faith"!

When the Lord establishes Jerusalem as the praise of the earth, then all the Church will be joined together!

As for Israel, they all need to remember the time of Jacob and the Lord:

Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Gen 32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

There comes a time when we need to wrestle with the Lord until we receive His blessing!

These are Gods own words and just as true as all others!

In fact, I believe the Lord loves a good wrestling match with those who love Him. (Up close and personal)

There is coming that day when the Church will be a thing of praise in this entire world, just the opposite of today when the Christian is so hated.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Then God actually guarantees all these things!

*****Isa 62:8 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:
Isa 62:9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

We already know that the right hand of God is the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of that arm is the Holy Spirit.

It is the Triune God that solemnly binds Himself "by an oath" to come to the relief of His people. In this case God is referring to the Jewish people after the "Time of Jacobs Trouble".

We have seen God swear by Himself.
We have seen God swear by His Holiness.
We have seen God swear by His Great Name.

But God has also sworn by the excellency of Jacob:

Amo 8:7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.

God promised the "Time of Jacobs Trouble" but God also said the true Jews would be saved out of this judgment.

Amo 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

Jer_30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

So, it is at this point where we can see the truth of our Scripture, today.

When Israel was in control of the land called Palestine, the fruits of their labor were constantly destroyed or carried off by hostile neighbors. Much of this has not changed today.

Terrorism affects Israel more than any other nation daily and it is ignored by this world!

God has sworn to put an end to all these things.

It is this promise to Israel that will finally bring peace to the entire world but notice it is only after the Church has been removed and there has been 7 years of Hell on earth!

The courts of God's holiness now will be Zion but will include this entire world!

Deu 12:7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

God says proclaim His Word to be true because it is!

*****Isa 62:10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

We already know that the Jerusalem of this age, is now a thing of Beauty and the Temple has been restored and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah sits upon the throne of David.

We also know that the way of salvation has been prepared so it is just a matter of going through the gates to Zion!

This is the same way of salvation today!

The Lord has prepared the way and all that need be done is to go through the "Door", the "Gate", those things being the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!

Miss the wrath of God and go today, "The Way Has Been Prepared"!

Zion can also mean the Church and the "Gates" of the Church have been open since the First Coming of the Lord!

To the Jew, they stumbled at the "stumble stone" of Jesus Christ.

1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

All the obstacles for the Jews have been removed and even for all the Gentiles that remain!

As the Church, we are to understand all these things also making note that we will miss out on the wrath of God and return with Him when He returns to Mount Zion.

The Church has already been "Justified" and "Redeemed"! (The Church is just waiting to be picked up)

Blindness will be removed from the Jews!

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

We must understand what God says today is meant for the world to hear and this maybe the most important part of our job to get God's Word out to the world!

Most people think getting involved with the Church is inside the doors of the Church but our field of labor is now and has always been outside those doors!

The Lord Jesus Christ has done all the work to make salvation a reality for "whosoever" calls upon His name.

It is our job to tell the world His name so they will know "Who" to call upon! (it is not Allah, or Buda, or Confucius, or any other false thing, but only the Lord Jesus Christ)

"We must prepare the way of the people"
"We must gather the stumble stones out of that highway to salvation"
"We must lift up a standard for the people" That Standard being Jesus Christ the Messiah!

It is only the Church that will miss out on the "wrath of God"!

*****Isa 62:11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

The Lord has always had the same message!

Psa 98:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
Psa 98:2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
Psa 98:3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psa 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

The salvation of the Lord has always been about "Faith" and "Obedience" to the Word of God!

Salvation is just the beginning of the rewards that come from knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior!

Psa_116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

The "Gospel" of Jesus Christ is the "Highway" to eternal life! The way is clearly marked! This highway is lit by the "Glory" of God in His Son!

Even all the "peculiar people" of the Lord have found this to be true!

This world as we know it will end one day and there is a far better place that we will call home!

What did Jesus say?

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.

What is the truth of this place that Jesus has gone to prepare?

1Co_2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

The work of salvation is complete!

The preparations of our new home are complete!

When the Lord returns He will complete all His other work!

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.

Who are those that will inhabit Jerusalem and all the world during the Millennial Reign of Christ!

*****Isa 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Zion the Church are the Holy People because they are the Redeemed of the Lord!
Zion the city of Jerusalem will be restored also!

Jer 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
Jer 30:18 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
Jer 30:19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Jer 30:20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

The Jews once known as a holy people until Roman conquest have been despised but then they will again be called a Holy People who serve the true Lord.

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Sunday, July 30, 2017

The Work of the Returning Messiah

The Work of the Coming Messiah

Book of Isaiah Chapter 61


Most of this entire world will not be saved because they will fail to believe in the work of the Messiah.

The Hebrew word "Mashiach" (Messiah) is used 39 times in the Old Testament and every time it means "anointed".

As Christians, we use it in the New Testament to refer to our Holy Savior but we have good reason because the Word of God says so!

The Messiah is the anointed One of God!

Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: "therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows".

If God says the Messiah is God then that is good enough for me!

Jesus is said to be the Messiah in the New testament:

Joh 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ".

The Woman at the well with Jesus is very aware of the Messiah and Jesus responds:

Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, "I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ": when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26 "Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he".

Christ is not the last name of Jesus, it is who He is, "Jesus the Messiah"!

In Prophecy, the word Messiah is only used twice and both times it refers to the anointed One of God.

Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah "be cut off", but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And "he shall" confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week "he shall" cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations "he shall" make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The first great promise of the Messiah comes from the first book of the Bible:

Gen 3:15 And "I will put enmity between thee and the woman", and between thy seed and her seed; "it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel". (enmity being the friendship of the world)

We do not need to wonder about the meaning of these things because Jesus the Messiah (the Christ) used this Chapter in the Book of Isaiah to claim He was this Messiah and even refers to His First and Second coming by His actions, which was missed by the Jews.

*****Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

For all those that have a head knowledge of God as Holy and Divine and do not accept that God took on the ministry to provide salvation to all His creation, then their head knowledge is useless!

We will never know the truth of God until we realize and accept the ministry of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in relationship to our eternal salvation!

It is the Messiah Himself, that announces His mission at His First Coming and at His Second coming!

How do we know this? Listen to the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah.

Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
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.
Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

Notice how He stops before He says, "the day of vengeance of our God" because this describes His actions at His Second Coming!

It should be obvious that there must be "an acceptable year of the Lord"!
The term year in this passage does not mean "one Year" as our calendar states but a certain age with a beginning and an ending.
We call it the "Church Age"!

All the work of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ did, did not take place because of the "superhuman qualities" of His person but in the power of the Holy Spirit!

Without the work of the Father, the Son (the Messiah), and the Holy Spirit, there could be no one be saved!

God is Spirit!

Joh_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

All true ministry is always inspired by the Spirit of God.

The only message to this lost world by the Holy Spirit is the "Gospel of Jesus Christ"

Joh_15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, "he shall testify of me":

None of these things are confusing because the truth is never confusing!
It is the lies of the world that causes confusion because Satan is the master of deception!

Isaiah, by the Holy Spirit, laid all these things out about 700 years before the Messiah first came!

The Lord Jesus Christ said Himself that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy and His ministry and His actions proved this to be true!

Jesus Christ preached the "Good News"!

Even today the "Good News" is tossed aside because people just love "bad news".
More riches come by "bad news" than any other thing in all this world!

The real "bad news" is that all sinners are Satan's captives!

The "Good News" is that the Messiah came to deliver all those captives from Satan's bondage!

1Jn 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

The Lord Jesus just ask us all to consider these words He is saying and surely, we can understand the truth.

Every word and every action of the ministry of Christ Jesus proved He is the Messiah!

God provides us with a choice: acceptance of His truth or vengeance if His truth is rejected.

Acceptance is being "justified" by the work of the Lord.

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.

Vengeance, is not speaking of revenge for making the wrong choice but only answering to the "judgment of God".

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;

Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

God provides us a method to escape this death!

Eze 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

From experience, I can tell you that once I realized I had sinned against our Holy God, I began to mourn for what I had done to Him and I still do at times!

We must never forget that each one of us that now know the Lord Jesus as our Savior were once caught up in Satan's prison!

1Co_6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Not only that but we will mourn for our children, our friends, and our acquaintances who have not yet come to the Lord.

We will mourn for this sinful world!

If we are part of the Church then we need to mourn for those who are not part of the Church!

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

When the Jews would mourn in shame they would sometimes cover themselves with ashes but "salvation will replace ashes with beauty".
Salvation will replace that mourning with the "oil of joy".
Salvation will replace "heaviness" with the praise of God.

We will become trees planted in the Garden of God's "righteousness" to glorify God!

Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Jer 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Psa_1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

*****Isa 61:4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

We already know that Isaiah was preaching to the Jewish captives in Babylon and his message was that Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the Temple.

This message extends far beyond this time, to the time of the Millennial Kingdom when this entire world will be transformed into a world such as the Garden of Eden.

But even greater than this, is the message of that wasted place of that lost soul where there is no sense of right and wrong!

Isa 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

All those captives who have been made free.
All those trees planted by God's river.
All those who have now called on the Lord will be employed in the building of the Church!

It had been the job of the Jews to spread the Word of God but that job has now been given to the Church and it seems we have forgotten that we have this job. (Shame on the modern-day Church)

Israel***Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

The Church***1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

There have still been desolations for many generations that still go unrepaired!

Many in this world will certainly come face to face with their sin one day soon and "the message of God must be ready for them"!

*****Isa 61:5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

The message of Isaiah to the Jew was if they would repent and return to the Lord they could then assume the duties of taking the Word of God to the Gentiles, which they hated and rejected. Only in this sense, the Gentile would have been subordinate to the Jew.

Since this job now belongs to the Church, we are all on even ground. (We all stand on even ground at the Cross)

Gal_3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

In the time of the Millennial Kingdom, The Nation of Israel will be restored and there will be a restoration of many nations of this world.

Positions of authority will be given to those of the Church that were called out (the Rapture) along with whatever God had promised to King David.

People from all nations will be doing the day by day work to carry out God's economy!

There will be no such name as foreigner or alien or immigrant and no one will oppress Israel or Jerusalem!

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

*****Isa 61:6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

The Church having returned with the Lord for positions of authority and many other things, these Jews will once again be named the priests of the Lord to carry out what God had intended to begin with Israel.

It will also be these Jews who will minister in the Newly rebuilt Temple.
The Church has never been a part of the Jewish Temple, we are in ourselves a Holy Temple of God!

It had been the Gentiles that had gotten the glory on the Temple mount for many years but this would now be reversed and the things of God's Temple will have all the glory in Jerusalem!

*****Isa 61:7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

Shame comes to those who live in the captivity of sin!

Those Jews who felt great shame because the nation they knew had been humbled and were now in captivity.
It was not the captivity itself that brought that shame it was the sin of being disobedient to the Word of God and rebellion against Jehovah that had brought that shame!

My greatest shame comes from knowing that I allowed foolish sin to take control of my actions!
Sin will dominate your life if you allow it and in the end, it will take the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ to remove that sin!

What did God promise to Israel. The glory days for Israel as a nation had been the days of King Solomon. Great things are happening in Israel today but there is not much glory shown to them from this world! God has promised they would have double the glory of that time of King Solomon. Since we know that this has not yet taken place then it must be in the future and we as Christians should know this will take place during the time of the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord when King Jesus will sit on the throne of David as did his son Solomon!

It seems that besides the true Church, no one else in this world has any respect for the true Jew but honor and respect is still in the future for this great nation!

It is a fact that Israel as a nation do not understand the wrath of this world today. They certainly understand the wrath of the Muslim world because that has been a like a family feud since the time of Abraham and Isaac and Ishmael and Sarah and Keturah.

They do not understand the rest of the world that ignores the truth and condemns the innocent!

God says these things will end with that little Jewish nation on top.

Shame will be replaced with double honor.
Confusion and reproach will be replaced with double joy and double blessings.
Rebellion will be replaced with a double portion of the Holy Spirit.
Rejection will be replaced with a double portion of "Grace"!
Even the land they had in the time of Solomon will double in size.

This nation that has been in captivity for so long will then know double the freedom and the ending of all captivity. There will be a national "Jubilee" in Israel.

Lev_25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Lev_25:13 In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.

Not just double the joy "but everlasting joy" will return to this people!

Why? Because the Lord loves to make wrong become right!

*****Isa 61:8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Judgment is the act of determining the truth from falsehood!

God, by His own words, loves to do this!

God loves those who do right!

With sin in our lives we do not know right from wrong so God gave us His technical manual (the Bible) on the truth of right and wrong, with examples to teach us the truth of righteousness!

God loves "justice"!
God loves "justice" in Himself!
God loves all those who make a practice of "justice".

Robbery then, is all things gotten by injustice!
Robbery then, is all things practiced with injustice even when that thing is offered to God for a personal sacrifice!

Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

God has much patience and He has no problem in teaching us the truth, even when this world denies His truth!

Psa 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
Psa 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Psa 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

The one thing that God insists on is that once we know the truth then we are to abide in that truth!

Jer 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

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.

One day this world will realize that it is the family of God who are truly blessed!

*****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.

We should understand that to be adopted into the family of God places a marker on each of us.
When you call yourself a Christian the entire world will look at you and the things you do, to see if you match up to what they think a Christian should be.

Remember it is not what "they think" it is what "we know" but we should still be an example of Christ and it noticeable

They will test you many times.
They will try to take advantage of your commitment at times.
Those neighbors will see if you regular in your Church attendance.
They will also watch the activities that go on around your home.

If we are truly a Christian, (like Christ Jesus) it will be noticeable.

It is a fact that a Christian should be noticeable in a crowd, in a good way!

God has said many times that the little nation of Israel is His chosen people but in truth it is those who are Christian who are God's chosen people!

Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Gal 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Today the Christian may be looked at as being a bunch of "do gooders" but one day soon God's people will be honored!

All the world will honor the blessings of Israel!

Zec 8:13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

All the world will honor the blessings of the Church!

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

These are not just things God says, these are things that God promises, this is His covenant!

All people in this world will acknowledge the blessings that God has bestowed upon His people!

We do not have to wait to rejoice at that time, we can rejoice now!

*****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.

We have already seen that we are in a war and we must be dressed prepared for war!

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The day is soon coming when we can exchange our garments of war.
We will wear salvation as a garment! Remember our salvation comes by the "blood of our Savior!
We will wear righeousness as a robe! Remember we had no righeousness of our own, we wear the righteousness of our Savior!

The Bridegroom in this Scripture is the Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest.
The Bride of course is the Church, the Spouse to her wonderful Husband!

The Apostle Paul wrote these words:

2Co_11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

We do not have anything to do under our own power, except to believe.

We do not have anything to purchase for our salvation.

We not have any work to do before our salvation, but plenty afterwards!

All these things are in the power of the Lord to accomplish!

*****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.

It is the Word of God that is the seed that will spring up to new life in the garden of salvation.
It is mankind that is the soil where God's Word must be sown.
It is the Church God has chosen to be the "sower" of His seed.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the arm of the sower.
It is the Holy Spirit that is the power of salvation and eternal life!

Just as sure as His seed germinates, God will bring "redemption" to those who grow in the Lord!

Psa 85:9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Psa 85:11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Psa 85:12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
Psa 85:13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

God has given us only one job to do and then we are to enjoy His blessings until we reach our Heavenly home!

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

When the Messiah returns, for He has certainly come to spring forth His salvation message, He will bring great blessings to those who love Him!

Amen!

Let's Pray!