The Sign of the
Coming Messiah
Book of Isaiah 6; 7
Today we get a
little glimpse of Heaven and then one of the greatest prophecies to
ever be fulfilled, the recognition of the Messiah.
We will first see
the testimony of a prophet's call to serve the Lord.
We will next the
prophecy of the Messiah and the sign of His truth.
Let's begin:
*****Isa 6:1
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, "high and lifted up", and his train filled the
temple.
King Uzziah had
ruled for 52 years, longer than any other King of Israel. No doubt
that as Isaiah witnessed the death of one of Israel's better kings,
Jehovah God decided it was time to give Isaiah a glimpse of the King
of Kings upon His throne in Heaven.
The first thing we
notice is, that God did not show Isaiah His majesty as the Lord Jesus
had but showed him in a way that he could understand the true King of
our universe.
Isaiah saw the true
King and the true "Judge" of Israel who would rule for much
more than 52 years but in fact forever!
Isaiah had seen the
throne of Uzziah but now in the throne room of God, he sees a throne
much higher and much more lifted up than any throne of this earth and
upon it sat "Adonai".
Adonai is the divine
character of God and is applied to Jesus Christ through the title
"Lord".
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.
The title "Lord"
then, denotes the divine sovereignty of Christ.
2Co 4:5 For we
preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus "the Lord"; and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
Rom 14:5 One
man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day
alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He
that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto "the Lord"; and
he that regardeth not the day, to "the Lord" he doth not
regard it. He that eateth, eateth to "the Lord", for he
giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to "the Lord" he
eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Rom 14:7 For
none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
The title "Lord"
says This Lord is also our true King!
1Ti 6:14 That
thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the
appearing of "our Lord" Jesus Christ:
1Ti 6:15 Which
in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate,
the King of kings, and "Lord" of lords;
1Ti 6:16 "Who
only hath immortality", dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour
and power everlasting. Amen.
It should be obvious
that Isaiah was not only a prophet but he was also a priest as he had
witnessed the regal robes of the High Priest that could not compare
to the regal robe of the Lord, Adonai.
We should consider
that this throne and this majesty is part of what our Lord gave up to
come to this earth to die in payment for our sin!
What did the Lord
Jesus say?
Joh 6:62 What
and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up "where he was
before"?
This is what the
Lord Jesus was referring to and this is what Isaiah saw in his vision
on this day but he also saw much, much more.
*****Isa 6:2
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he
covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain
he did fly.
Isa 6:3 And
one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of
hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4 And
the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the
house was filled with smoke.
The one thing
certain about all angels is that they are "created beings"
but just in a higher order than humans!
Angels are not
subject to the limitations of mankind!
Angles are also
spiritual beings, though they may reveal themselves to mankind in the
form of human bodies.
They do not have
corporeal bodies as humans do!
There are more
angels in existence than can be counted and that number will not
change because they simply cannot die!
Angels have greater
wisdom than humans but that wisdom is still limited.
Angels have greater
power than humans but that power is still limited.
Angels, however,
still have limitations in their relationship with God!
Angels were never
created in the image of God, so they certainly cannot share in man's
destiny of redemption and a "Glorified Body", as that of
Christ!
There is coming a
time when each redeemed man will be exalted above every angel!
1Co 6:3 Know
ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain
to this life?
Some also believe
there are orders of angels some higher than others, and that can be
true, but the Scriptures do not actually say this.
It is certain,
though angels have many things in common, they also have separate
functions as we see here and as we see with Michael and Gabriel!
We also know that
angels have the freedom of choice as we see with Lucifer.
Even with the
angels, all choices have consequences!
The truth that we do
know, is that all angels serve as the ministers to God!
The "seraphim",
in this Scripture have the ministry to God "in surrounding the
throne of God as they attend God's holiness".
It is the "seraphim"
who declare that mankind must be cleansed of sin's defilement before
we can stand before God and serve Him!
They are not to be
confused with the cherubim "who have the ministry of defending
God's holiness"!
This is the reason
that Cherubim are on the Ark of God rather that the Seraphim.
The cherubim had 4
wings while the seraphim have 6 wings but there are still other
differences.
With two wings the
seraphim covered their eyes, for they felt unworthy to look upon the
holiness of God.
With two wings they
covered their feet, because they felt unworthy to walk where God
walked.
With two wings they
flew continuously, while crying one to another "Holy, holy,
holy, the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory".
If we think of these
things as just being symbolic, then we better not miss what Isaiah
saw!
Isaiah saw the
Supreme "Authority" of God, His throne higher then all
thrones of this earth!
Isaiah saw the
Supreme "Glory" of God", His majesty filled all the
Heavenly Temple!
Isaiah saw the
Supreme "Holiness" of God, Holy, Holy, Holy! (The number 3
a perfect number, describing the perfect "Holiness" of God)
We must clearly
understand there is a vast spiritual universe that far exceeds the
material things we can see with our own eyes!
In truth, all of
God's creation declare the Glory of God, just as these seraphim have
declared!
Psa 19:1 The
heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork.
The movement of the
door and the house filled with smoke, was the reaction of God's Holy
nature against sin!
This is also the
reaction of our Father in Heaven, when one of His children has
realized that they are in the clutches of Satan and repent and call
on the Lord!
Psa 18:6 In my
distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my
voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his
ears.
Psa 18:7 Then
the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved
and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Psa 18:8 There
went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth
devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Psa 18:9 He
bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his
feet.
Psa 18:10 And
he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of
the wind.
Psa 18:11 He
made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were
dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Psa 18:12 At
the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail
stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:13 The
LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice;
hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:14 Yea,
he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out
lightnings, and discomfited them.
Psa 18:15 Then
the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world
were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of
thy nostrils.
Psa 18:16 He
sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
Psa 18:17 He
delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for
they were too strong for me.
Psa 18:18 They
prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
Amen.
So, Isaiah quickly
realized that he also wanted to be and he also needed to be a servant
of the Lord!
*****Isa 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:
for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isaiah immediately
felt the "Grace" of God but more important he also felt his
unworthiness to be a servant of God!
Isaiah was probably
already a priest at this time but Isaiah now had a clearer vision of
the Lord.
We must all realize
the truth of the God we serve!
Heb 11:6 But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
We must know the
Lord and we must know who He is before we can serve Him as our Lord!
We must see the Lord
exactly like Isaiah saw Him, "high and lifted up" above all
His creation!
If we cannot
recognize the Lord Jesus Christ in this manner, we are wasting our
time in trying to serve Him!
We are all humans of
unclean lips!
We all live in the
midst of a people with unclean lips!
And God says:
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.
So how do we become
a servant of the Lord?
*****Isa 6:6
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his
hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7 And he
laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and
thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
**To be a servant of
the Lord we must realize that all the "seen world" and all
the "unseen world", are subordinate to the fact that we
have a Creator!
Our Lord rules
supreme over His own creation!
Col 1:16 For
by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him:
Col 1:17 And
he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The Lord Jesus is
the glue that binds all His creation together!
**To be a servant of
the Lord we must understand that The Lord Jesus is truly the sinless
Son of God and the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit
being the third!
Jesus Christ is the
sinless Savior of the world that He created! Only when we realize the
truth of these things, can our Lord become our "Redeemer"!
To be the Savior of
this world, "is by God's design" and Christ came "to
freely offer pardon and purity" to all that truly believe upon
Him!
We must also
realize, our Savior, who will be King, demands our service after His
pardon!
We should also
realize, the Lord will not hesitate to discipline that servant until
their loyalty is assured!
**To be a servant of
the Lord, we must first realize we are a sinner and to get close to
the Lord, then that sin must be purged!
I believe we can
understand this "coal" as being the Word of God because
Isaiah was then called to be a messenger of God, a true Prophet.
Jer 23:29 Is
not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that
breaketh the rock in pieces?
What do we know of
the altar of the burnt offering. God commanded for that fire to be
always burning!
Lev 6:12 And
the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put
out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the
burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of
the peace offerings.
Lev 6:13 The
fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
To put that fire out
would show disobedience to the Word of God!
To allow that fire
to go out would show neglect of the things of God!
We must understand
that in "typology" this represents a type of Christ Jesus
and His sacrifice for our sin.
The altar of "the
Cross", is always burning because the Lord's sacrifice,
"satisfied a Holy God who had required our own death for our
sin".
God allowed the
sinless blood of Jesus to cover all sin!
This angel, being a
minister of the Lord, had in his mouth the Word that he had received
from his Holy God, who sits on the throne of Glory above the altar of
His dear Son!
This event will
happen again during the 7 year tribulation period.
Rev 14:6 And I
saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the
hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Isaiah then realized
that God had given him something that had to be shared with all his
nation!
isaiah received his
commission from the Lord!
*****Isa 6:8
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us? "Then said I, Here am I; send me".
Isaiah got a little
glimpse of Heaven.
The lips of Isaiah
had been purified.
Now Isaiah can be in
direct communication with the Lord.
You see, this is
exactly what happens when we realize we are sinners and we accept the
Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
We are then washed
in the blood of Jesus and we can go right into the throne room of God
without some intercessor of this earth! The Lord has become our
personal "Intercessor"!
Isaiah knew the
function of the priesthood because he was already a priest but not
the High Priest.
It was only the High
Priest who could go beyond the veil to be in the presence of God and
he could only do this one time each year!
SO, What else
happened at the cross beyond payment for all our sin?
Mar 15:37 And
Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
Mar 15:38 And
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Isaiah found himself
in the throne room of God and he heard God's voice saying "whom
shall I send".
Now we know that God
was in the presence of His angels.
We also know that
Isaiah had no idea why God was making this request.
We also notice that
not one angel volunteered!
SO Isaiah, being
ignorant of the nature of this calling, freely accepts this call of
God and throughout his long life, Isaiah never felt this calling to
be a burden.
The answer God is
looking for will always be "Here am I; send me"!
Notice another very
important thing, God did not take time to consult with anyone else or
anything else in Heaven because our Lord rules supreme through out
all His creation!
Those that trust in
the Word of God "by faith", have never questioned the Book
of Isaiah!
Joh 12:41
These things said Esaias, "when he saw his glory, and spake of
him".
again:
Act 28:25 And
when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul
had spoken one word, "Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the
prophet unto our fathers",
Even the Lord Jesus:
Mar 7:6 He
answered and said unto them, "Well hath Esaias prophesied"
of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with
their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mar 7:7
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.
The truth is, before
we can serve the Lord, we must surrender all we have to the Lord and
we must surrender to the Word of God!
It was these things
brought the supreme response from the Lord!
*****Isa 6:9
And he said, "Go", and tell this people, Hear ye indeed,
but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isa 6:10 Make
the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut
their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
We should understand
that the Lord will not do anything that He has not revealed to us in
His Word! We have all the truth we need for "salvation" and
we have all the truth we need for "Judgment"!
We do not have to
guess because we can know, because we have the complete Word of God.
There are no lost books of the Bible!
Amo 3:7 Surely
the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his
servants the prophets.
There will never be
a new prophecy that opposes the Word of God we now have! In fact
there will never be anything new that opposes the Word of God we now
have!
All the Word of God
will go hand in hand with the "work" that God asks us to
do! So just "Go" tell some one else about Jesus.
What was the command
given to us all of the Lord?
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:
Mat 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
This was the same
command given to Isaiah!
God was saying to
Isaiah that the unbelief of his nation had caused them to reach a
point where they could not understand the Divine principles of God.
Isaiah had a message
of warning but Isaiah still maintained a message of salvation, all
his days.
What was the truth
of these people?
Rom 11:8
(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of
slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not
hear;) unto this day.
It is the "rapture"
of the Church that will awaken Israel from this slumber!
This message God had
for these Jews was a harsh message, so Isaiah wanted to know how long
would this blindness, this foolishness, this rejection of the Lord,
last.
How long would this
"judgment of Israel last"?
*****Isa 6:11
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, "Until the cities
be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the
land be utterly desolate,
Isa 6:12 And
the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in
the midst of the land".
For those who say
this took place in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, they are wrong. That
was just a taste of what is yet to come!
The Lord Jesus
repeats these things to the Jews of His day after the time of
Nebuchadnezzar:
Luk 19:42
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the
things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine
eyes.
Luk 19:43 For
the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And
shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee;
and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou
knewest not the time of thy visitation.
The nation that had
it's beginning at the day of Isaiah's calling was Rome and in 70 AD
Titus of Rome devastated Jerusalem.
BUT, Even this did
not remove the blindness of these people!
The Apostle Paul
gives us the true answer.
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". (this would be the Rapture of the Church)
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.
Rom 11:28 As
concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as
touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
Rom 11:29 For
the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Rom 11:30 For
as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained
mercy through their unbelief:
This time has not
taken place and will not until after the Church is "called out"
of this world!
So, How many of
these Jews will actually come to know the Lord?
*****Isa 6:13
But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be
eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them,
when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance
thereof.
The truth is, the
Holy Seed of the Jew will arise from that stump that will be left
when the Lord returns!
There will be a
tenth that will go through the 7 years of Tribulation and of those
that will remain will receive the promises of God given to David!
Amo 5:3 For
thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall
leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave
ten, to the house of Israel.
Amo 5:4 For
thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye
shall live:
From Ezekiel:
Eze 5:1 And
thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's
razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then
take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
Eze 5:2 Thou
shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the
days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part,
and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter
in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:3 Thou
shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy
skirts.
Eze 5:4 Then
take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and
burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all
the house of Israel.
Eze 5:5 Thus
saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of
the nations and countries that are round about her.
And Zechariah:
Zec 13:8 And
it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two
parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left
therein.
Zec 13:9 And I
will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as
silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall
call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people:
and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
We can see that
Isaiah had a harsh message for his own people but Isaiah never
faulted and isaiah never quit on God!
Sometime had passed
until the rule of Ahaz, the most evil of all the rulers of Judah and
we will see the a most revealing prophecy from Isaiah by the Holy
Spirit and the sign of the only One who could put an end to the
misery of the Jew and bring salvation to this world.
*****Isa 7:11
Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or
in the height above.
Isa 7:12 But
Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
Isa 7:13 And
he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you
to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
First we notice that
a prophet of God did not have a problem coming face to face with the
government.
We hear a lot about
Elijah and Ahaz and sometimes we forget that Isaiah also stood his
ground for the Lord without fear.
A sign from the Lord
was "an outward act that served as a pledge or a proof of His
Divine Word".
This sign could
sometimes be natural sign but a sign could also be supernatural by
God's design! For instance:
We have the
"Rainbow" in the day of Noah.
We have circumcision
in the day of Abraham.
We have the sign
given to Gideon. (the dew and the sheep's wool)
Even evil King Saul
received a sign of the truth of Samuel.
In the time of
Jesus, miracles became a sign of His Divine power.
Jesus Himself said
that Jonah and the whale was a sign of His death and His
resurrection.
The thing we must
observe in this Scripture is, that in this hour or this time that
Isaiah and King Ahaz were together this day, the fate of the Jewish
people is decided for more than 2000 years, even past the day we live
now!
We should understand
that King Ahaz had already rejected the Lord and the Word of God
through God's prophets.
At this time Ahaz
was trusting in the false gods of Assyria and he was not about to ask
for a sign from God, because he knew God might give him one that he
did not want. Ahaz had already rejected the power of God and some
sign would not change anything for him!
Ahaz was afraid he
would have to commit to a policy that he had already lost faith in!
The Bible says:
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;
We see this
beginning to be true in this day we live now because we are in these
later times!
We should also
realize, that when we ask God for proof of His existence, we are also
showing a lack of "faith" but to refuse what God offers
through His Prophet and His Word, is truly an insult to an all
powerful God and Ahaz had insulted God with his lack of respect!
Ahaz and his sons
represented the house of David at this time, but no other king of
Judah had defied God as had Ahaz.
It could be said
that Ahaz had renounced Judaism and had also renounced Jehovah!
God will not deliver
a people who do not trust Him to deliver them!
God will only answer
a prayer of "Faith"!
The greatest sin
against the Lord is the sin of unbelief! (It cannot be forgiven)
"Therefore"
*****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.
King Ahaz refused to
trust that the Lord would deliver Judah from the combined forces of
the Northern Tribes and Syria and he had placed his faith in the
forces of Assyria.
God decided on a
"supernatural sign". In the day of Isaiah an impossibility
but today is certainly possible.
A young virgin
maiden, "of marriageable age", would have a son, not just
any son but the Messiah. His name would be Immanuel (God with us).
We should not be
fooled by modern translations, this was to be a "virgin" in
all sense of the word virgin! This Son was to be the Messiah!
God says what He
means and God means what He says!
This was to be a
young Jewish virgin maiden of marriageable age with the strength, in
every way, to carry this child of God!
This Son of this
virgin would be the great "Deliverer" of Israel!
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.
This virgin born
Son, this Messiah, was to be born in Bethlehem. (First Coming)
This Son of this
virgin, Mary, was to become the Redeemer and the Savior of mankind!
(First Coming)
Luk_2:11 For
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord.
2Ti_1:10 But
is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel:
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.
To dispute these
things is to dispute the Holy Spirit who also directed the Apostle
Matthew.
This sign of the
"virgin birth" of the Messiah was explained to Joseph who
was also of the House of David, as was Ahaz to whom this prophesy was
given.
Mat 1:20 But
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear
not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in
her is of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:21 And
she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for
he shall save his people from their sins.
Mat 1:22 Now
all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the
Lord by the prophet, saying,
Mat 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is,
God with us.
Mat 1:24 Then
Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had
bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
Mat 1:25 And
knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he
called his name JESUS.
Mary was a virgin at
conception and remained a virgin until after the birth of the
Messiah.
These things could
never have been written about Hezekiah because he would have already
been born before this time and was probably about 9 years old.
The efforts of King
Ahaz would have destroyed Judah and Israel would never be resurrected
and God could not allow that to happen!
This prophesy of
Isaiah was to prove to Ahaz that Judah was invincible until the
Messiah was born of this virgin, only after this could things change
for Israel and Israel be devastated by Titus of Rome.
What would be the
history of this child this Messiah?
*****Isa 7:15
Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil,
and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For
before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good,
the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Adam lived in the
Garden of Eden at the first and even knowing the law of God, he did
not refuse to do evil.
The second Adam, the
Messiah would witness the destruction caused by sin and He would
refuse all evil and choose the good!
The Messiah would
partake of the simple things of life because He would be raised by
poor parents but Godly parents who would teach Him the truth of God.
God would be His
true Father as he would be filled with the all power of Holy Spirit
from His birth!
Remember also that
Ahaz was taking a stand against Israel and Syria. His greatest
problem was he trusted Assyria for protection rather than the hand of
God.
Isaiah just informed
King Ahaz that both those two nations would both lose their kings and
this was not something that should be of concern to him.
**2Ki 15:37 In
those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of
Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.
2Ki 15:38 And
Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the
city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
All these things
were a warning to King Ahaz but he still rejected the Word of God
through God's prophet!
Ahaz had already
rejected the Word of God given to Jacob:
Gen 49:10 The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his
feet, "until Shiloh come"; and unto him shall the gathering
of the people be.
The truth is, that
the Jews have been without a ruler, without a judge, and without a
King for more than 2000 years because they have rejected the true
King of kings and the true Lord of Lords!
The virgin birth of
the Lord Jesus Christ is a major doctrine of the Church and the
importance of it cannot be over stressed!
1) The Lord Himself
gave this sign! The sign was not so much prophecy at is was the given
child, the Son of God.
This sign would be a
child given to all people, a gift from our Holy God!
2) It was the "first
coming of this Child" that was the sign more than even "the
birth of this Child".
God informed the
Jews of that day, that they must pay attention to what He was saying,
so they would know when this thing took place and most all of them
missed it. Those that realized the truth then rejected it!
This is the truth of
all prophecy in the Word of God, we must all pay attention so we will
know when these things take place and when we can expect the next one
to take place.
What did Jesus say
to these Jews?
Luk 12:54 And
he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west,
straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
Luk 12:55 And
when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it
cometh to pass.
Luk 12:56 Ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; "but
how is it that ye do not discern this time"?
They had missed the
time and the purpose of the "Sign" God had given to them!
As far as Bible
prophecy for the Church is concerned, the next thing on God's clock
is the "Rapture" of the Church!
These prophesies
concerning the Jews will take place after this!
Are you ready, to
meet the Lord?
Questions?
Let's Pray!
