God Judges His
People
Book of Isaiah 2
The world does not
know what lies in the future but we can be sure if someone knew what
the future held for them, they would change things before that time
arrived.
The truth is, all
people can know what lies in the future but the greatest future for
any human being is rejected by most of the world.
The Lord gave Isaiah
a glimpse of what lies in not only the future, "near and far"
for Israel, but also a glimpse of the future of all human beings.
What is the truth?
Php 2:9 Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name:
Php 2:10 That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
Most of this world
rejects this truth but the truth is always the truth and cannot be
changed!
Why is Israel hated
so much?
Because the Bible
states emphatically that all nations and all people shall yet
acknowledge the God of Israel!
We can also be sure
that God will always preserve Jerusalem. Why do the Moslem have such
a great desire to keep Jerusalem because they believe part of the
Word of God and the Word of God says that Jerusalem will be the
capitol city of this world one day in our future. They just think
they can hold onto Jerusalem by force or deceit which will certainly
fail and it will be they who will rule the world. They simply think
it is man-made power that controls this world which is simply nor
true. There is a supernatural force in control of His own creation!
There is only one
way to be a citizen of the true Jerusalem and the Word of God
explains it very well and without confusion.
Let's Begin:
*****Isa 2:1 The
word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 And it
shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S
house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many
people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of
the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
In chapter 1 we saw
a vision given to Isaiah by the Lord and now in chapter 2 we see
another vision, and though it may overlap with the first one it is
still a new vision.
We have a tendency
to use the phrase "the word of prophecy says" but we need
to understand these are actually decrees that come from the mouth of
God! A decree is God's unchangeable Words that are always true!
Psa 33:11 The
counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to
all generations.
When the Word of God
says "it shall come to pass" when we can depend on that
thing being the truth and one day will certainly come to pass!
The Temple existed
in the time of Isaiah so he was not talking about that Temple. Isaiah
is looking far beyond what will happen to the Jews in the time of
Nebuchadnezzar, far beyond the rebuilt Temple, and far beyond the
first coming of the Messiah.
The nations that are
set in place after the 7 year tribulation period are already in place
at the time of this vision!
All those nations of
this day are calling on the Lord and what do the people say? "Come
ye, let's go to the mountain of the Lord". They still have that
freedom to choose and they will encourage one another and they know
that King Jesus is already there.
By this time, Israel
again is the lead nation of this world.
What are three
events we know of, according to the Word of God that lie in the
future?
1) There will be 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.
2) There will be the
future Kingdom of God on this earth and a new Temple.
Dan 2:35 Then was
the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to
pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was
found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth.
3) There will be the
restoration of Israel as the dominant nation of this world.
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:
God says it and that
settles it!
There will be only
one rule of government and the world will finally know peace but
after every war there are people that need to be fed and their fears
removed.
*****Isa 2:4 And he
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they
shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more.
That word "judge"
in verse 4 means the government of God will be in place.
A "Theocracy"
is when this entire world will be under the direct government of God
Himself!
There will be no
councilor, there will be no three branches of government, there will
be no Constitution and there will be no Bill of Rights, there will
only be the Word of God, which by the way, we have a complete copy of
already!
God will order "all"
the affairs of this world and He will do so "judicially".
God has never judged for destruction because He will only judge for
correction! He will rebuke many people!
The world will have
already witnessed the wrath of God!
The world will melt
down all the weapons of war to be used to prepare the soil for food
and much food will be needed.
Amo 9:13 Behold,
the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the
reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the
mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
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.
Isaiah was so
excited about this vision, he not only said this to Judah but he
spoke to all the tribes of Jacob.
*****Isa 2:5 O
house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Isaiah said to his
people, since we can know all these things, then why not repent and
return to the Lord "now".
The worldly ways of
Israel would bring only destruction. As Judah followed in those same
tracts of Israel, they would see that the ways of the world would
only lead to destruction. It is only those that walk in the light of
the Lord, who would see the things that God has reserved for His
people!
This invitation to
come to the Lord is still in place, at this time but there will be a
time when God will say no to those that already been offered that
chance to come.
Rom 13:12 The night
is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works
of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us
walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfil the lusts thereof.
Those that have
rejected the Word of God will certainly see the "Day of the
Lord"!
*****Isa 2:6
Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because
they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the
Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
The most terrible
statement in the Word of God is those words "thou hast forsaken
thy people"!
The truth is, God
will never forsake those that love Him, but in truth God will forsake
all those that reject Him and God gives all of us His reasoning. "God
forsakes all those that forsake Him"!
That word
"therefore" means to look and understand the previous
Scriptures.
God not only has
total control of the life we have now, God has total control of life
after the death of this life.
There will be a day
that God will "judge" this world, "the day of the
Lord" and in fact this is not even a time period but just as the
Scripture says "a day". God does not need a great deal of
time to defeat His enemies, it will only take a small part of "one
day"!
God does not ever do
these things for a lack of love!
The lost world and
many false Christians keep saying that a Loving God would never do
such a thing. God will simply remove all those who have rejected Him
and His Words. It's just a matter of doing what He says He will do!
God does not ever threaten but God will certainly "Warn"!
When this world
becomes your god then you have rejected the truth of God!
Exo_20:3 Thou shalt
have no other gods before me.
Jer_25:6 And go not
after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me
not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
The Jews of this day
of Isaiah had turned to the East for the things they needed. They had
turned to the land of Mesopotamia, the land of Nebuchadnezzar. They
had turned to the world and walked away from their Redeemer!
In this Scripture a
"soothsayer" is one who practices magic, a diviner, a
sorcerer. These Jews had turned to the occult to get the answers of
the future, ignoring the Word of Truth, the Word of God and His
prophets of the truth of God.
We can see that the
Philistines, the Palestinians of today, also practiced these same
practices of the occult and still do today!
We also see that
they had allowed the children of immigrants from other countries to
bring in their false worship to influence the people of God and we
see this happening today in our own nation.
When God forsakes as
a Father and a Friend, He then becomes the "Judge"! God
will always "Judge" by His written Word!
Lev 20:6 And the
soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after
wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against
that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
Lev 20:7 Sanctify
yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Lev 20:8 And ye
shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify
you.
We are fools to
think that the Lord will ever change His ways!
*****Isa 2:7 Their
land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of
their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there
any end of their chariots:
Isa 2:8 Their land
also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that
which their own fingers have made:
Isa 2:9 And the
mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore
forgive them not.
What is the sequence
of idolatry?
1) Money in
abundance, the love of money is the root of all evil.
2) Money buys
horses, the horse stands for power, and the lust for power is truly
an evil thing.
3) Horses require
chariots. Power requires violence, ambition, more money and
authority.
4) Then those under
that authority need something to occupy their minds "spiritual
adultery". Places of worship where there are religious rites and
ceremonies. Nothing suits the world better than an idol that can be
placed on a shelf and called upon only when needed and not expecting
an answer and that requires no obligations. They worship the work of
their own hands as this world does today!
An idol requires a
degrading of human dignity!
When we can bow down
to our own creations we have made our own life meaningless!
We have also made
God's creation an accident!
At this point, God
simply cannot forgive them and they will drink the wine of "Divine
Wrath"!
What is the truth?
Psa 10:16 The LORD
is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
We sometimes forget
that we live in God's Creation and we are to abide by God's rules!
God will certainly
"Judge" this bad behavior!
*****Isa 2:10 Enter
into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and
for the glory of his majesty.
Isa 2:11 The lofty
looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be
bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12 For the
day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and
lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought
low:
To be honest, when
the Lord returns, what else will those that have rejected Him be able
to do but try to escape or hide.
All those who have
been so arrogant to defy the Lord, will not want to face the truth of
the Lord.
All those who have
been so full of self-pride in their own accomplishments, will see
that they have accomplished nothing.
All those who have
denied and rebelled against the Lord all their days, will finally see
that Jesus Christ is truly the Lord of all His creation.
It is the Lord alone
who will be exalted in the "Day of the Lord"!
When the Lord
returns, He will settle up with all those who have rejected Him in a
small part of one day, thus the "Day of the Lord".
To the Jew any part
of a day was considered a full day.
It can also be said
that from the time period extending from the "Rapture" of
the church, through the 7 year Tribulation period, the return of
Christ and on through the Millennial reign of Christ Jesus, can be
considered the "Day of the Lord" to Israel, and then on
through the creation of the New Heaven and the New Earth when all
God's people will become One "Bride of Christ".
Book of Joel
2:18-3:21.
Zechariah 1:7-3:10.
During the
Millennial reign of Christ, Israel will be the light to all nations
which was God's original intent, when He called Abraham out of Ur.
Isa 49:6 And he
said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise
up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I
will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be
my salvation unto the end of the earth.
Then the Lord Jesus
Christ will be the Divine Ruler of this world.
Zec 6:13 Even he
shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and
shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his
throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
Zec 9:10 And I will
cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and
the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the
heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the
river even to the ends of the earth.
In that day,
Holiness will be the rule on this earth!
Zec 14:20 In that
day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE
LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before
the altar.
Zec 14:21 Yea,
every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD
of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them,
and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the
Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
We must always
remember, those that reject the Lord cannot pray, if they do that
pray will be rejected.
Thoe truth is those
the reject the Lord, do not have the strength to overcome sin so they
relish in it!
The truth of the
"Gospel" will always seem weak to those that deny the
"Gospel"!
To these people, the
"Day of the Lord" will be like a world-wide crisis and all
they can see is the end of mankind, when in truth it will be the
beginning of what God has promised to those who love Him.
Then Isaiah, by the
Holy Spirit describes some of these things.
*****Isa 2:13 And
upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon
all the oaks of Bashan,
Isa 2:14 And upon
all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,
Isa 2:15 And upon
every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
Isa 2:16 And upon
all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
Isa 2:17 And the
loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men
shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
The truth is, when
mankind will not repent then mankind must suffer!
The truth is, all
those who do not come to Christ in the time before the "Day of
the Lord" will certainly flee from the doom of their own
destruction on this day!
In truth, all God's
created universe all mankind, all of nature, and everything in the
heavens will be humbled at the site of the Lord!
Rev 16:20 And every
island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Mat 24:35 Heaven
and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Isa 34:4 And all
the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be
rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as
the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig
tree.
Act 2:19 And I will
shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood,
and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that
great and notable day of the Lord come:
Those on the earth
on this day will realize the end of their beliefs has come!
Those on the earth
will cast away all their false gods who can do them no good!
*****Isa 2:18 And
the idols he shall utterly abolish.
According to, the
Hebrew word "Elyil" which is translated "idol",
this means "nothingness".
"Nothingness"
means things that do not exist!
All those people who
worship anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ will see that God
will abolish those things! To abolish means to destroy!
A special feature of
God's "judgment" will be the eradication of idolatry
everywhere! Amen
This will also
include the images of saints worshipped by certain groups.
1Co 8:4 As
concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in
sacrifice unto idols, "we know that an idol is nothing in the
world, and that there is none other God but one".
The truth is, there
is nothing of this world that can represent the invisible God of
Almighty Power!
Once this is
realized by those who have rejected the true God, they will have
nothing but fear to turn too!
*****Isa 2:19 And
they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the
earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when
he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isa 2:20 In that
day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold,
which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to
the bats;
Isa 2:21 To go into
the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for
fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth
to shake terribly the earth.
Untold monies have
been spent to protect the leaders of many nations from catastrophes
but none can be protected from the wrath of God!
We must realize
there is simply no means of escape from the "judgment" of
God!
All those who have
refused to repent will certainly suffer at the hand of God!
Rev 16:18 And there
were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty
an earthquake, and so great.
There are simply no
way for mankind to prepare for things that have not ever been seen!
*****Isa 2:22 Cease
ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be
accounted of?
As Christians, we
must not participate in the wicked behavior of this world!
Who are the truly
insane in this world? It is not those whose minds that have never
developed!
It is those who
trust in the humanistic, materialistic philosophies of this world and
reject the truth of God!
Man, is not the
supreme being in this universe and there are no such things as aliens
from foreign planets!
As humans, we only
possess the breath of life that God has given us and He can take that
away at any moment!
Gen 2:7 And the
LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
This truth still
remains, the only sin that can never be forgiven is the sin of
rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ.
The truth of mankind
is, that we are sinful, ignorant, lack the strength to do good,
independent, rebellious and inclined to do evil, and this is just our
nature!
God has provided the
only means of escape from this life or what we call life, when most
people still live in the misery of the unknown.
There is nothing in
this world that is everlasting and worthy of our trust beyond the
Word of God which gives us the truth of life!
1) As humans, we
must cease from expecting perfection to come from this world.
2) As Christians, we
must cease from expecting great things in this world.
3) As Christians, we
must cease from expecting too much from fellow Christians, they to
will sometimes fail us.
4) Therefore, we
must not make fellow Christians our model or measuring faith by their
faithfulness.
5) In reality, we
must cease in expecting too much from Christian friendship, even
Christ was forsaken by His own disciples.
6) Therefore, the
only One to whom we can totally depend on is our Savior, our
Redeemer, who knows us better than we know ourselves!
I have recovered
from cancer, by the hand of God, so only in that sense am I better
than those "who have not yet" recovered from cancer.
It is the same for
the Christian! As Christians, we have recovered from our sinful lives
by the Lord Jesus Christ and only in that sense "are we any
better than those that remain", who refuse to repent of their
evil ways and call on the Lord for salvation.
Charles Spurgeon
wrote "Man is made up of soul and soil, and the soil terribly
soils the soul".
Our flesh is simply
so weak that if you cut off our air supply we will be dead in just a
few moments no matter how strong we are physically!
We are simply fools
to trust in what man can accomplish and ignore our Creator!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
