The Peace and
Strength of Trusting the Messiah
Book of Isaiah 26
We, by now, should
have noticed the two main concepts of all the prophets of God.
1) The Lord, the
Messiah, will return for a Second Time and His glorious reign on this
earth!
2) The repentance
and the return of Israel to the Lord with His forgiveness and His
restoration.
We can be certain
that this final focus does not rest on Israel, this final focus will
be on the absolute "Glory of God"!
Eze 43:1
Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh
toward the east:
Eze 43:2 And,
behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east:
and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined
with his glory.
Eze 43:3 And
it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even
according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city:
and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar;
and I fell upon my face.
Eze 43:4 And
the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate
whose prospect is toward the east.
Eze 43:5 So
the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and,
behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
When the Lord Jesus,
the Messiah, walks through that Eastern Gate of Jerusalem, and into
that rebuilt Temple, the entire world will see the "Glory of
God".
My pastor has
preached many times that when the Antichrist tries to sit on the
throne of David in the rebuilt Temple, that the Jews may not know who
the Messiah is, but they certainly know who he is not, and he is not
the Antichrist and the Jews will then rebel against him.
The Jews will see
the truth and it is the truth that makes them to be free! That's what
truth does!
Joh 8:31 Then
said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my
word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And
ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
When we know the
truth it will put a song in our heart!
*****Isa 26:1
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a
strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Isa 26:2 Open
ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may
enter in.
"The Song of
the Redeemed"
And what day?
2Pe 3:12
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein
the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
And what is the
purpose of the Messiah?
The Messiah will
certainly fulfill the promises He made to Israel but His true purpose
is to restore all things to the time of Adam before Adam's sin!
Act 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the
Lord;
Act 3:20 And
he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom
the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the
world began.
And what does God
say? Open the gates to the nation that has now become righteous,
God's people Israel and as always, there will be some strangers that
have chosen to abide with Israel.
The Jews will join
the Church:
Eph 2:19 Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens
with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In
whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy
temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In
whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through
the Spirit.
And like the Church,
these people of God can then have the peace of God:
*****Isa 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
Perfect peace is
when we come to know the Messiah as our Savior, we will then have
peace with God in all ages.
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.
Once we have peace
with God, we can then have the peace of God in all ages.
Php 4:7 And
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
This is the peace
that the world has no understanding of because it is perfect peace!
The only minds that
can be at peace are those that remain on the Lord. A mind that trust
in it's own methods, it's own works, in it's own righteousness, or
it's own riches, will never find perfect peace! There can be no peace
to those who have rejected the Lord!
Isa 48:22
There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
Our faith cannot be
a one time thing, we must trust in the Lord forever!
*****Isa 26:4
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting
strength:
Isa 26:5 For
he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth
it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to
the dust.
We must trust in the
Lord at all times.
We must trust in the
Lord in every condition.
We must trust in the
Lord even in our times of affliction, in times of temptation, and in
periods of darkness.
To be in harmony
with God, is to trust Him in good times and in bad times.
We can be at peace
in every situation that we face, when we trust in the Lord.
"Trust" in
the Old Testament is the same as "Faith" in the New
Testament!
That trust must be
in the Lord! The Lord Jehovah!
For those who are
still confused, God put it like this to Moses:
Exo 3:14 And
God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exo 3:15 And
God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children
of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my
name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
There is only one "I
Am" and He is also the Messiah who will return.
The LORD is the
"Rock of all the Ages"!
Psa 18:1 I will
love thee, O LORD, my strength.
Psa 18:2 The
LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my
salvation, and my high tower.
Psa 18:3 I
will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be
saved from mine enemies.
The truth is, in His
own good time, on a day that only He knows, the LORD will bring down
all those who have exalted themselves against Him!
God will humble the
proud and bring down all the arrogant cites of this world.
For those who
remember the sad days of the twin towers of New York City, these will
be but an example of how the mighty cities of this world will crumble
an fall.
Now I am not saying
Jehovah brought down those two buildings. We know who caused these
things to happen. I am only making a comparison.
God will bring every
high and lofty city down in dust!
The proud will be
destroyed and the poor and needy will be exalted.
Remember the Church
will already be in Heaven, so this is referring to to those who come
to trust the Lord during the Tribulation Period of seven years which
is mainly the Jews, God's chosen people.
*****Isa 26:6
The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the
steps of the needy.
Isa 26:7 The
way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the
path of the just.
Isa 26:8 Yea,
in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the
desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
In other words, God
levels the path. We all stand on level ground at the cross!
Christians since the
beginning of the Church have faced criticisms and obstacles that many
have never had to face.
Now many people
struggle in life and there are many who struggle to meet their own
needs but many Christians struggle and die just because they have
chosen to follow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ and for no
other reason other than that daily battle with their own sin.
God will level that
path and clear those obstacles out of the way of the righteous, those
who just want to do things right. Things that are done right are all
those things that are done according to the Word of God. After all to
be a Christian is to be like Christ!
When the Lord builds
that new highway to His New City, we can be sure that the Messiah
will also remove anything that could hinder the travel of His people!
Who are those who
are righteous?
1) Those who obey
the laws of God.
2) Those who wait
patiently on the Lord.
3) Those who have
diligently sought to glorify the Lord
4) Those who are
yearning to be with the Lord.
Psa 16:11 Thou
wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at
thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
When God has
provided for safe passage of those who are now seeking Him, His
judgments will fall on those who continue to reject Him!
The inhabitants of
this world will begin to see what righteousness really looks like!
*****Isa 26:10
Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn
righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and
will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
Isa 26:11
LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall
see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of
thine enemies shall devour them.
1) God has provided
the majesty of His creation to show that our world had a Creator.
Rom 1:18 For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God
hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For
the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
2) God has provided
the truth of the Word of God.
2Ti 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That
the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
works.
3) God has provided
His Words of Providence.
Isa 40:22 It
is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a
curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isa 40:23 That
bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as
vanity.
Isa 40:24 Yea,
they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their
stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon
them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away
as stubble.
Isa 40:25 To
whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Isa 40:26 Lift
up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that
bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by
the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one
faileth.
The Lord has a
specific purpose for all these things. It is so this ungodly world
will understand righteousness!
Disaster, has a way
of opening the eyes of people who are high and mighty and it is then
that many will turn to the Lord.
The Lord hears the
wicked when they cry for help but He will not answer their prayers
until they repent!
We must remember the
Lord already provides for the ungodly but they ignore God's kindness
and give credit to themselves or to some false idol or some other
human.
For those who
finally realize that things do not happen by accident but still
continue to live as they have in sin, God says that more "Judgment"
is required!
God first warns of
this and then God then follows through with that "Judgment"
after His warning.
People may not
realize that God knows those who will never accept Him, just as He
did the Canaanites that dwelled in the Promised Land.
Notice that word
fire.
Mal 4:1 For,
behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it
shall leave them neither root nor branch.
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.
The ungodly have no
spiritual understanding of the Word of God.
1Co 2:14 But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But
he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of
no man.
1Co 2:16 For
who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we
have the mind of Christ.
In fact they have
become dull of hearing what God has to say. This is surely true in
America and even becoming that way in the Bible Belt of America.
But in these end
days it is that same Word of God that offers strength and peace to
the Christian!
*****Isa 26:12
LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all
our works in us.
Isa 26:13 O
LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but
by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
The first thing that
comes with peace, is that human lives are not required, as in war.
War is unfriendly to humanity.
In fact as we see in
Syria, human lives seem to have no value to anyone, as atrocities
have continued year after year and politicians just talk with very
little action.
This is war at it's
nastiest!
We must understand
that peace in our world today is not always a blessing. The cause of
the righteous does not always prevail!
When the Lord brings
peace to this world, the cause of right will have prevailed to a
lasting peace!
God will cause peace
to happen because God has ordained peace for all His people!
The Messiah will
return and cause these things to happen!
Mal 3:18 Then
shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked,
between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
The truth is when we
do not accept the Lord as our Lord, then we will always have others
who will rule over us!
The greatest truth
is, if the Lord is not your Master, then you belong to Satan!
*****Isa 26:13
O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us:
but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
Isa 26:14 They
are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not
rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all
their memory to perish.
As Isaiah glances
back over the history of Israel, many other nations had dominated
them and that held true until May 14, 1948.
Only in the early
days before we fought for freedom from England, was America ruled by
some foreign power and if we would return to the Lord, that may hold
true until the return of Christ. America is so high and mighty now
that the Lord could knock the wind out of her sails at anytime.
Because of the sins
of Israel, the Lord had to deliver them over and over again.
Those that cling to
Judaism still make mention of the Lords name but they do still have a
lack of "Faith".
Just as Isaiah has
said, all those old rulers and many of those old nations that had
invaded and conquered Israel, no longer even exist.
During their time of
captivity, Israel had bowed the knee to many false deities and it
taken many years for idolatry to cease out of that land.
It is a fact that
what ever people love the most will eventually be their lord and god.
There is the god of
their belly.
There is the a god
of power.
There is the god of
ambition.
There is the god of
riches.
There is the god of
pleasure.
These are all the
god of sin (covetousness) ruling in their hearts!
All sin boils down
to wanting something other than the truth of God!
There is coming the
day, when all people who are left on this earth will simply want a
personal relationship with the Lord above all other things!
There is coming a
day, when the works of Satan will no longer exist and those that die
that day will never live again in this world.
Dan 12:2 And
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Only those who know
the Lord will awake to everlasting life!
When God wipes away
all our tears, all memories we have of those we knew who had rejected
the Lord will perish!
Israel will ne
exalted above all other nations!
*****Isa 26:15
Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the
nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the
ends of the earth.
The world seems to
forget that when Jacob took his 72 member family into Egypt, during
that time, there were good times and then the bad times but when they
left, there were over 600,000 men not counting women and children.
They went in Jacob and came out Israel.
In the 40 years they
traveled in the wilderness all those that were over the age of 20
died and were replaced and Joshua had the same size force to take
into the Promised Land.
So we see that
during the times of trouble, Israel as a nation always seems to grow
larger in population.
Isaiah is saying the
same thing that Jeremiah is saying about these people.
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.
These things will
certainly hold true in the time of the Millennial Kingdom. There will
be a population explosion!
The Church has
continued to grow from the days of Abraham and God has not lost a
single one!
So these things also
relate to the Church that God has built upon during the time of the
tribulation!
Rev 7:9 After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before
the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms
in their hands;
Rev 7:10 And
cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev 7:13 And
one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are
arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14 And I
said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Knowing these things
we can better relate to the following Scriptures:
*****Isa 26:16
LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer
when thy chastening was upon them.
Isa 26:17 Like
as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is
in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O
LORD.
Isa 26:18 We
have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were
brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth;
neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
Isa 26:19 Thy
dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of
herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
It is a fact that in
times of adversity the Church grows! The Church never grows smaller!
Certainly the amount
of Christians can decrease on the face of this earth at any time but
they just go home to an ever increasing number in Heaven. This is
God's plan!
During the 7 years
of Tribulation those that then turn to God will have suffered greater
than at any other time in history.
It is a fact that
God has been chastening His people, Israel.
No doubt they have
suffered more that any other people for more than 2000 years.
It could be said,
that the agony of Israel can be compared to a mother in labor, with
great pain and anxiety for that young life within her.
Knowing all these
things these people could not grasp the deliverance that God had
promised to them.
But they had
forgotten what else God had promised them.
Hos 13:13 The
sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise
son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth
of children.
Many will say that
God has been to harsh on this people but it is the ways of God that
will lead to such a great salvation!
What is the truth of
salvation? Dead men shall live!
The wages of sin are
still death even in the Tribulation Period.
Not all murders
become martyrs but is a fact that all martyrs have been murdered and
murdered for only one reason, they have given themselves to the Lord
and to teach His message.
The "dew"
in this passage is the work of the Holy Spirit!
Again I must mention
the fact the "Rapture of the Church" has already taken
place and the Church has been with the Lord all this time.
These Scriptures
refer to those saved during the Tribulation Period, the time of
Jacob's Trouble, and most of these people are Jews but also many from
other nations.
The same truth holds
true for both the Church and these:
Rev 20:6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God
and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Isaiah speaks of
those during the time of Jacob's Trouble.
The Lord Jesus
speaks of those of the Church:
Rev 2:11 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
The Church is called
out at the end of the Church Age!
Rev 4:1 After
this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the
first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with
me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which
must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2 And
immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in
heaven, and one sat on the throne.
It is also true that
the earth will cast out all the dead.
Daniel said:
Dan 12:2 And
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And
they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and
they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Dan 12:4 But
thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the
time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased.
Even Jesus said this
was true:
Joh 5:28
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And
shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation
This time is still
in our future, for we are still in that time of mankind running to
and fro and knowledge is increasing but this knowledge is not the
knowledge of God!
Notice even Isaiah
knows these thing will not happen in his lifetime, He speaks of the
future!
But it is always
time to get closer to the Lord!
As we have witnessed
recently in the storms that passed through our area the smart thing
to do is to find the safest place we can find in our homes or
elsewhere until the storm passes by.
*****Isa 26:20
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors
about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the
indignation be overpast.
Isa 26:21 For,
behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of
the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her
blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
We should clearly
understand that in the greatest of all storms, the Lord is still the
Master of the storm.
Nah 1:3 The
LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit
the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
It is only those
that know the Lord who can hear His voice when He says come!
It is only the
Master of the storm who holds the power to all life!
God is like a tender
Father, who sees the storm coming upon His children takes them by the
hand and leads them into the closest shelter!
As Isaiah warned
these Jews and also the Church, we also need to warn as many as we
can that God's patience is wearing thin with the people of His
creation.
We "all"
always need to be prepared for these days that could happen at any
time!
1) God has pointed
out all the dangers of rejecting the truth of the Gospel! There will
be a time of "Judgment"!
The Lord will come
out of His place to punish the inhabitants of earth because of our
iniquity(sin)!
In other words God's
people must not be participating in the wicked behavior of
unbelievers at any time!
But for the "Grace"
of God we would all perish!
2) God has provided
His counsel.
We must be prepared
because, no thing and no one will be able to hide the unbelievers
from God! There will be no sin that can be concealed from the Lord!
There are no secret sins that God will not know of! All sin will be
exposed.
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.
God says "Come".
3) God assures us
His promises will be fulfilled.
God assures us that
all those who have rejected the Lord and persecuted God's people will
be punished!
Jud 1:14 And
Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To
execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed,
and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken
against him.
It is the right
thing for God to do, no matter what the liberals say!
Rev 16:5 And I
heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which
art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Rev 16:6 For
they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given
them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
This does not mean
we are all to hide physically because we can hide openly if we belong
to the Lord.
It means we need to
continue to warn as many as we can of this coming "judgment".
It is not our job to
tell them they are lost, they already know how to be lost.
It is our job to
tell them how to be saved!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
