Shall we turn now in our Bibles to
Isaiah, chapter 6, as Isaiah records for us
his commissioning by God for his ministry.
Now you remember in chapter 1 that Isaiah
tells us that his time of prophecy extended
through the kingdom or through the kings of
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
As we pointed out, it is thought that
he was put to death by the evil
son of Hezekiah, Manasseh.
But his call to his ministry as a
prophet is given to us in chapter 6
and it so happened that it came 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.
Uzziah was a very popular king.
He had reigned over Israel for 52 years.
He began his reign when he was just
16 years old.
Under his reign, the nation, and actually I
say Israel, but it was the southern kingdom
of Judah over which he was reigning.
And during this period, Judah had great military
advancement and great prosperity.
They developed a great water system, enlarged their
agricultural area, they enlarged their territory by moving
into the territory of the Philistines, something that
they weren't able to do prior to this
under the other kings.
He tore down the walls of Gath and
of Ashdod, the great Philistine strongholds.
He planted settlements in the Philistine territory.
He had a very strong and powerful standing
army of 310,000 men.
They set their scientists at work building new
types of war weapons for those days, great
slings to throw huge stones and to shoot
arrows and so forth.
And he overall strengthened the nation mightily so
that the people felt very secure and very
comfortable during the reign of Uzziah.
He was a popular man.
The name of Uzziah spread abroad throughout all
the land, even to the going down to
Egypt.
Everybody heard of him.
Not only that, everybody was talking about him.
And the name Uzziah was on the lips
of all the people.
Very importantly, we read, and as long as
he sought the Lord, God made him to
prosper.
He was a prosperous king.
He was a popular king.
The kind of a man that you have
great confidence in because of his accomplishments.
And so the people had great confidence in
Uzziah.
They had come to trust in him and
rely upon him.
Perhaps too much so.
As is often the case with a good
popular leader, people begin to rely upon them
too much and you get your eyes on
to man and off of the Lord.
And you begin to put your trust in
man rather than in the Lord.
And so many times it is necessary, when
that becomes the case, that in order that
we might get our eyes back on the
Lord, God has to remove the man.
And oftentimes God does take that man that
you've been relying on and trusting him and
removes him out of the scene in order
that you might get your eyes upon God.
Such was the case with Uzziah.
And so it is very significant that Isaiah
would say, in the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw the Lord.
Prior to that, his eyes were on Uzziah.
Prior to that, his trust was in Uzziah.
He was a good popular king.
Things are going well.
Things are prosperous.
You don't, it seems, unfortunately, think about the
Lord so much in prosperity.
It's when all of a sudden calamity strikes.
The throne is empty.
What are we going to do?
Uzziah's son is not the same as his
dad.
He's surely not capable as was his father.
The northern kingdom is going down the tubes.
Anarchy is reigning, actually.
One king after another is being assassinated.
And there is confusion.
And they're in danger of being wiped out.
What are we going to do?
Uzziah is dead.
The throne is empty.
But Isaiah received a vision, a vision of
the Lord in which he realized the throne
is not empty.
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw
the Lord sitting on the throne, high and
lifted up, and His train did fill the
temple.
So God having removed his idol, Isaiah got
his eyes now upon the Lord, and he
sees that the throne is not vacated, that
God is upon the throne.
Oh, how important it is for us to
realize that God is on the throne, that
God is ruling over the affairs of our
lives, and God is ruling over the affairs
of the world.
We are prone to tremble when we see
the world conditions.
As you just look at the things that
are happening in the world today, it's enough
to scare any sane man and give him
a heart attack.
But if you look beyond and realize, hey,
God is ruling, God is in control, then
I can rest.
I can sleep at night only because I
know that God is in control.
I know that God is sitting upon the
throne.
So important that we realize that God is
upon the throne in our lives.
God rules, God reigns.
That's the important thing.
So because God does reign, whatever does come
upon my path is there because God has
allowed it to come upon my path.
The Lord reigns.
And it is so important that we have
this as a mental concept constantly.
God reigns.
Now He describes the throne of God.
He sees the seraphim that are above the
throne of God, and He describes the seraphim.
Now we are told that there are also
cherubim around the throne of God, and these
are angelic beings, and evidently there is a
great similarity between the cherubims and the seraphims.
Now in Ezekiel, He also, and we'll be
getting to that soon, He also had a
vision of the throne of God in chapters
one and in chapters ten, and He described
the cherubim, other angelic beings that are around
the throne of God.
In John chapter four, He had a vision
of the throne of God, and He saw
the glassy sea in front of the throne.
He saw the emerald around the throne of
God, and then He also saw these living
creatures, whether the seraphim or the cherubim that
John describes, we do not know.
But basically, their ministry is that of just
worshiping and leading the worship of God around
His throne as the cherubim or the creatures
in Revelation cry, holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, which is, which was, which is to
come.
So here the seraphim, they are described as
having six wings.
With two of them they cover their face,
with two of them they cover their feet,
and they use two of them to fly.
Interesting looking creatures to be sure.
They are not, though, to be mistaken as
birds or some kind of an animal, because
they are highly intelligent creatures.
And one cries to another and says, holy,
holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.
The whole earth is full of His glory,
declaring the glory of God and the holiness
of God.
And the post of the door moved at
the voice of Him that cried, and the
house was filled with smoke.
And so He describes the heavenly scene, even
as John describes the heavenly scene in Revelation
chapter four and five, and even as Ezekiel
describes it in chapter one and ten.
Now I would recommend these chapters as important
reading for any serious child of God, because
He is describing something that you're going to
be seeing before very long.
Events that you're going to be watching.
And if you don't read about them and
know what's going on, then you're going to
look like some hick when you get to
heaven.
Mouth open, duh, ooh, you know.
And everybody will know you didn't do your
homework.
So these are interesting portions to study, so
that when you get there and the whole
thing is coming down and the cherubim are
saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which
is, which was, which is to come, then
you can say, all right, now watch.
Those 24 guys, watch them.
They're going to take their crowns and throw
them on that glassy sea.
Watch this now, you know.
And you'll be able to read and play
it cool, because you know, you know the
sequence of the worship there about the throne
of God.
So I highly recommend the reading of these
portions where the throne of God is described.
Always with each description, there is that awesomeness
of God, the creator of the universe, as
He sits upon His throne, as He rules
and reigns over the universe and that worship
and acknowledgement of Him about the throne.
Isaiah had the vision of the throne of
God.
Then said I, woe is me.
Because now He sees Himself in a whole
new light.
Up till now He had been looking at
Himself in the dim light of the world
in which He lived.
And in the dim light of the world
around us, we don't look too bad.
In fact, we look pretty good.
But I'll tell you, be careful of looking
at yourself in a mirror in the sunshine.
Nothing is hidden.
I mean, looking at yourself in that light
is a whole different story.
And so, looking at ourselves in the light
of God is a whole different story.
I don't know, I don't know, of a
single man who has had a true vision
of God, who didn't have a vision more
or less with Isaiah say, oh, woe is
me.
When Peter realized it was Lord, he said,
depart from me, Lord, I'm a sinful man.
When Daniel describes his vision of God and
all, he said, my beauty turned into ugliness.
Seeing God, we see ourselves in the true
light.
And no man can be proud.
You see a man who is proud, you
see a man who has not yet seen
God.
Jesus in the Beatitudes, in his great manifesto
in Matthew 5, 6 and 7, began the
Beatitudes.
In fact, he began the whole sermon by
saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Now he begins a seven-fold description of
the Christian in these Beatitudes, the characteristics that
mark a Christian.
But the first characteristic is poor in spirit.
From whence comes this poverty of spirit?
It comes when I see God.
That's the beginning of my walk with God.
My vision of God begins my walk with
Him and in the vision of God, seeing
God, I see myself and as I see
myself, I say, hey, woe is me.
I'm nothing.
Poverty of spirit.
Blessed are they which mourn, the next characteristic,
for they shall be comforted.
My poverty of spirit leads me to weeping
over my condition.
How could I do those things?
How could I have done that?
And I see myself now in God's light
and oh, what a revelation that is.
Then said I, woe is me, for I
am undone.
I am crooked and I dwell amongst, and
I have unclean lips and I dwell amongst
a people of unclean lips.
So he saw one of the seraphims then
that flew and with his tongs he took
a glowing coal from off the altar.
Now the study of the tabernacle is extremely
interesting because the tabernacle is a model of
heaven and the throne of God.
And so if you want to really know
what heaven is going to look like, that
is the throne of God area of heaven,
you can study the tabernacle and there you
have a little model.
And God said to Moses, make sure that
you make it according to the specifications.
Why?
Because it's a model of heavenly things.
So even in the earthly tabernacle they had
the altar with the coals.
So there in heaven is an altar with
coals.
And one of the seraphims went to the
altar with tongs, took these coals and he
brought it to Isaiah and he touched his
lips with that glowing coal.
And he said, your iniquity is taken away
or your crookedness is taken away.
He is crying, woe is me for I
am crooked.
Your crookedness is taken away and your sin
is cleansed.
I'm a man of unclean lips.
Your sin is purged, he said, or cleansed.
So the cleansing by the work of God,
notice it wasn't Isaiah's work, it was God's
work.
Isaiah's was the recognition of his condition.
God's work was that of the cleansing then
once he recognized his condition.
All God wants you to do is acknowledge
your condition.
He doesn't ask you even to reform, that
comes.
But he asks you to just acknowledge, to
confess.
If thou so confess thy sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive you your sins
and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
But you've got to confess your sin.
Woe is me, I'm undone, I'm dwelling amongst
the people of unclean lips, I have unclean
lips.
Your crookedness is taken away, your uncleanness, your
sin is cleansed.
What a glorious thing, the work of God.
And it comes immediately upon my acknowledgement and
confession.
David in the 32nd Psalm begins the Psalm,
oh how happy is the man whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
And before I confessed my sin, hey, I
was just dried up inside.
It was like the drought of summer, I
was so dry and parched, my bones were
aching.
For the hand of God was heavy on
me.
Then I said, I will confess my sin
unto the Lord and thou forgavest my sin.
Just before he got the words out of
his mouth, the minute in his heart he
said, oh I'm so horrible, I'm just going
to confess, I'm going to just turn it
over to God.
In that moment the cleansing and the forgiveness
came and that's just how anxious God is
to cleanse and forgive you.
The moment in your heart you say, God,
I have sinned, I'm sorry.
Woe is me, I'm crooked, my lips are
unclean, just as I was.
And I said that quick, the seraphim came
and said, hey, your crookedness is taken away,
your sin is cleansed.
Oh, the beautiful work of God's grace and
the forgiveness and his love for us.
All he asks is you just confess.
He is willing and wanting to wash and
cleanse you from all your sins.
But that isn't the end of it.
God does want to work in your life.
God will work in your life if you
give him the opportunity.
But God never stops there.
God wants to work through your life.
There is a needy world out there.
It's in darkness.
You are dwelling in the midst of people
of unclean lips.
And they need to know that God will
wash and cleanse them also.
And so the work of God in your
life always ends up objectively.
First of all, subjective, what God can do
for you, but then what God can do
through you to touch others.
And that's what it's all about.
So, I saw God.
When I saw God, I said, woe is
me.
When he heard them declare, holy, holy, holy,
declaring the holiness of God, then you see
yourself, woe is me, I'm crooked.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord
saying, whom shall we send?
Who will go for us?
Then said I, now he's speaking again.
But now this is a different, this is
a man who has now been cleansed.
This is a man whose life has been
touched by the fire of God.
And he said, who shall we send?
Then said I, here am I, Lord, send
me.
Once God has touched your life, then God
wants to use your life to touch others.
God has a work that he wants to
do.
And the problem is always, who will go
for us?
Whom will we send?
Jesus said, behold, the fields are white unto
harvest, but the labors are few.
Who will go for us?
Whom shall we send?
And the man whose life has been touched
by God becomes then an available instrument for
God.
Here am I, Lord, send me in his
commission.
And so, God said to him, go and
tell this people.
Now, at this time, Judah was on the
road down.
They had forsaken the living God.
Idol worship had been introduced.
There were times of spiritual reform, but they
were usually surface.
They never got into the real heart of
the nation itself.
And yet God wasn't going to just let
them be destroyed without still a witness.
But they weren't going to really listen to
the witness, but still God was going to
be faithful and witness to them anyhow.
And that is to me an interesting thing
about God.
Even though a person isn't going to respond,
even though a person won't listen, yet God
will still give them the chance.
God will still speak to them.
He doesn't cease talking.
And so he said, go tell this people.
You may hear indeed, but you don't understand.
You may see indeed, but you're really not
seeing.
You don't perceive.
And so God said, make the heart of
the people fat.
That is, give them the word.
Give them the message of God that they'll
have no excuse.
Their ears heavy.
Just hang the message on them and shut
their eyes, lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears and understand with
their heart and be converted and be healed.
Isaiah responded to the Lord.
How long?
And he answered until the cities are wasted
without inhabitant and the houses without man and
the land be utterly desolate.
Now God was going to continue to preach
to these people and continue to warn these
people and continue to give them opportunity until
the whole land was desolate, till the last
one was left.
God will continue his witness, even as God
will continue his witness to the world today
and his bearing witness to the world today.
But the world today isn't listening.
They're making fun of the witness of God,
but still we are to witness.
God will not leave himself without a witness.
All the political cartoonists on the editorial pages
are having a field day with a moral
majority and with creation and evolution.
I saw on Daily Pilot today in the
editorial page a cartoon of some big fat
slob saying to his little son who's coming
home from school with his books, God made
me in his own image, you know, and
after his likeness, I didn't evolve.
And it's just dispersion that is cast against
God really.
And still we're to preach.
Still we're to bear witness.
Still we're to warn.
Though they don't listen, though they don't see,
though their hearts are heavy, though their eyes
are blinded.
Still God wants a witness left with him
until the place is desolate.
There's nothing left.
God will bear witness.
Now the church is the instrument by which
God is bearing his witness to the world
today, but the church will soon be taken
up.
The witness of the church is just about
over.
Once the church is taken out, it doesn't
mean God's witness is over.
Just the witness of the church is over.
God's going to send two witnesses, powerful witnesses
with all kinds of power, and he's sending
them to Jerusalem.
God will also seal 144,000 of the
Jews that will be witnesses for him during
these dark, dark, dark hours that are coming
upon the earth this year.
And then God is even going to send
angels flying through the midst of heaven, orbiting
the earth, bearing witness and preaching the everlasting
gospel and warning men not to take the
mark of the beast.
Even down to the end, even by angelic
beings, God is going to keep his witness
going until the whole place is desolate, left
without an inhabitant.
For God is faithful in bearing his witness
to the people.
And so how long, Lord?
Until the whole thing is over.
And so the witnesses, God had his witnesses,
his prophets who were warning the people right
up until and through the time that Nebuchadnezzar
carried off the first captives.
Jeremiah was still there bearing witness to the
people, trying to repent and return to God
and get right with God.
And the Lord has removed people far away
and there be a great forsaking in the
midst of the land, but yet it shall
be that a tenth will return and shall
be eaten as a teal tree and an
oak whose substance is in them.
When they cast their leaves, so the holy
seed shall be the substance thereof.
In other words, an oak tree casts its
leaves.
It looks like it's dead, but yet it
comes back.
A teal tree looks like it's so dead,
but yet it comes back.
So it will look like the nation Israel
is dead.
It will appear that way, but yet God
said, I'll bring them back.
A tenth part.
Only one in ten will return, but I
will bring them back.
And so God's promise of bringing the people
back from the captivity.
Now Uzziah is dead and his grandson Ahaz
is reigning.
It came to pass in the days of
Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of
Uzziah, the king of Judah.
That Rezan was the king of Syria and
Pekah was the son of Ramaleah, the king
of Israel.
So Pekah was ruling in Israel.
He had assassinated the previous king.
And Syria and Israel, the northern kingdom, had
confederated together to attack Judah, the southern kingdom.
And so they came up toward Jerusalem to
war against it, but they could not prevail
against it.
And it was told the house of David
saying, Syria has confederated with Ephraim and his
heart was moved in the heart of the
people as the trees of the wood are
moved with the wind.
In other words, they began to tremble because
they said, oh, there's a confederacy.
Those two nations are coming against us.
No.
What are we going to do?
Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, go forth
now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shir-Jazab.
Now Shir-Jazab means a remnant shall return.
Shir-Haz, and that was the name of
his son, Shir-Jazab.
Quite a name for a boy, but he's
got one with a better name.
Malashallah-Hazbaz.
That's quite a tag to put on a
kid, isn't it?
And meet them at the conduit, the end
of the conduit of the upper pool in
the highway that is the Fuller's Field and
say unto him, take heed and be quiet.
Fear not, neither be faint hearted for the
two tails of these smoking firebrands for the
fierce anger of Rezin and because of the
son of Ramalaya or Pekka.
Because, don't be afraid, don't be faint hearted,
just be quiet before God.
Because Syria and Ephraim have taken evil counsel
against thee, saying, let's go up to Judah
and vex it.
Let's make a breach therein for us and
set a king in the midst of it,
even the son of Tabeo.
Thus saith the Lord God, it shall not
stand.
Their confederacy isn't going to stand.
Neither shall it come to pass.
For the head of Syria is Damascus, the
head of Damascus is Rezin, who was the
king.
And within sixty-five years, Ephraim will be
broken, that it be not a people.
So the northern kingdom of Israel, of which
Ephraim was the chief tribe, in sixty-five
years they're not going to exist any longer.
And sure enough, within sixty-five years the
Assyrians destroyed them.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria, that was
the capital city of the northern kingdom.
And the head of Samaria is Ramalaya's son,
which was Pekka.
If ye will not believe, surely ye shall
not be established.
Now just don't be afraid, don't be faint
hearted.
God's going to take care of it.
The confederacy that they've made against you isn't
going to stand.
God's going to break it.
Moreover, the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
Ask a sign of the Lord thy God.
Ask it either in the depth or in
the height above.
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither
will I tempt the Lord.
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?
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a
sign.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a
son and shall call his name Immanuel.
Butter and honey shall he eat, that he
may know to refuse the evil and to
choose the good.
For before the child shall know to refuse
the evil and choose the good, the land
that you abhor shall be forsaken of both
of her kings.
So these kings, Reza and Pekah, are going
to be wiped out.
Now, herein is where the prophets wrote as
they were inspired of the Holy Spirit, but
did not understand the things that they were
writing about and how that he was writing
of a local instance, but yet it had
a prophetic aspect towards the future.
And much of prophecy has a twofold interpretation.
They call it the near and the far.
And this is true of much prophecy.
In fact, it says that these men wrote
of things that they did not understand.
Earnestly, they desired to know these things of
which they wrote, but they really didn't understand
it, but they were writing inspired of the
Holy Spirit.
And in the near prophecy, a child was
to be born, or before a child born
at that period was old enough to know
evil, to choose good, or the age of
accountability, 12, 13 years old, or what are
you saying?
Within 12 or 13 years, both Pekah and
Reza are going to get wiped out.
They'll no longer be reigning over Syria and
over Samaria within 12 or 13 years.
But the prophecy in its long term was
a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ,
in that the Lord himself shall give you
a sign.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a
son and shall call his name Emmanuel.
We know that that is a prophecy of
Jesus Christ because it is interpreted by the
Holy Spirit in Matthew's gospel, chapter 1, verse
23, as a prophecy.
When it speaks there of how Mary and
Joseph were engaged, but before they had had
relations, Mary was found to be with child
by the Holy Spirit, that it might be
fulfilled according to the word of the prophet
saying, behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear
a son and shall call his name Emmanuel.
So Matthew's gospel, as Matthew writing by the
Holy Spirit, interprets this passage of Scripture.
He interprets it to be a prophecy of
the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Now the Hebrew scholar, Genesis, who has written
a Hebrew lexicon and is recognized as one
of the outstanding Hebrew scholars, has suggested that
the Hebrew word here, translated virgin, should be
translated a young maiden.
You know why he suggests that?
Because he said he doesn't believe in miracles
and it would be a miracle for a
virgin to have a child.
And so that's why he said, and that's
why he translates this young maiden.
And of course, Revised Standard and a lot
of the new translations pick up the unbelief
of Genesis and translate this, a young maiden
shall conceive.
Well, what's so much of a sign about
that?
That happens every day.
It takes away the whole thrust of the
Scripture.
But a virgin shall conceive, the Greek word
that was translated by these 70 scholars who
translated the Septuagint, the Greek version of the
Old Testament 200 years before Christ.
They chose to translate this Hebrew word with
a Greek word that can only mean virgin
and that God intended virgin is obvious because
of Mary.
Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a
sign.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
son and shall call his name Emmanuel, which
means God is with us.
Beautiful name.
God is with us.
So that is the far interpretation of this
prophecy.
The near was that within 12 years, a
child born now within 12 years, by the
time he's age of accountability, knows good from
evil, both these Kings that have conspired against
you will be wiped out.
And that was true.
Now he does predict the impending invasion of
Judah.
The Lord shall bring upon thee and upon
thy people and upon thy father's house.
He remember he's talking to a has the
King days that have not come upon the
day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the
King of Assyria.
And it shall come to pass in that
day that the Lord shall hiss for the
fly that is in the innermost part of
the rivers of Egypt and for the bee
that is in the land of Assyria.
And they shall come and shall rest all
of them in the desolate valleys and in
the holes of the rocks and upon the
thorns and upon all the bushes.
And in the same day shall the Lord
shave with a razor that is hired, namely
those that are beyond the river and by
the King of this Syria, the head and
the hair of his feet, and he shall
consume the bear.
Now what God is talking about is that
God is going to raise up another kingdom
and that is the kingdom of Assyria and
Assyria is going to invade and wipe out
Syria.
Assyria was over a little further north and
east from Syria.
And so sometimes people get confused with Syria
and Assyria.
Syria is going to be destroyed here.
They are planning an invasion, but Syria will
be destroyed by Assyria and God is going
to bring Egypt up in an invasion within
the land.
And it should come to pass in that
day that a man shall nourish a young
cow and two sheep.
And he speaks of, uh, the abundance of
milk that they shall give actually because there's
not very many people left around the land.
The tilled land is turned into briars and
thorns and, uh, all of the hills will
be dug, dig with a matic and there
shall not come thither the fear of briars
and thorns, but it shall be for the
sending forth of oxen, the treading of the
lesser cattle.
So, uh, in chapter eight, he continues in
this prediction of the Assyrian invasion.
Moreover, the Lord said unto me, take thee
a great role and write it with a
man's pen concerning Maharshala Hasbaz.
And that is interpreted.
It's a Hebrew word.
That means there are words that mean hasty,
hasty to the spoil, quite a name.
And I took me a faithful witness to
record Uriah, the priest and Zachariah.
And I went into the prophetess that is
his wife and she conceived and she bore
a son.
Then said the Lord unto me, call his
name Maharshala Hasbaz for before the child shall
have knowledge to cry, my father and my
mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil
of Samaria shall be taken away before the
king of Assyria.
So he went out onto his wife and
she conceived and bore a son.
God said, call him Maharshala Hasbaz because before
this kid is three years old can say
mama and daddy, Syria is going to get
wiped out by Assyria.
The Damascus will be overrun by the Assyrians.
The Lord speaking to me, also saying for
as much as this people refuse the waters
of Shiloh that go softly and they rejoice
in resin and in Ramaliah's son who is
Pekah.
Now, therefore, behold the Lord bring upon them
the waters of the river strong and many,
even the king of Assyria and all of
his glory.
And he shall come up over all of
his channels and go over all the banks.
So speaking figuratively is going to be like
a flood.
Assyrians are going to come and they're going
to take both Syria and the Northern kingdom
of Israel, which indeed did happen.
And he will pass through Judah and shall
overflow and go over and she'll reach even
to the neck, to the stretching out of
the wings.
And he shall fulfill the breadth of the
land.
Oh, Emmanuel associate yourselves.
Oh, you people.
And you shall be broken to pieces.
Give here all of you far countries and
gird yourselves and you shall be broken in
pieces, gird yourselves and you shall be broken
in pieces.
Take counsel together.
It shall come to nothing.
Speak the word and it shall not stand
for God is with us.
So he is challenging.
Now this Confederacy, you think that you're going
to join together and wipe out God's people,
not going to make it.
God, isn't going to let it stand for
God is with us for the Lord's fake.
Thus to me with a strong hand and
instructed me that I should not walk in
the way of the people saying, say you
not a Confederacy to all of those to
whom this people shall say a Confederacy, neither
fear you nor be afraid that the idea
of two nations getting together to fight against
one was an awesome thing indeed.
And so that word, oh, there's a Confederacy
just really struck terror into the hearts of
the people really was wiping them out.
And so the Lord said, Hey, just, you
know, forget that stuff because it's not going
to stand sanctified the Lord of hosts himself.
Let him be your fear.
Let him be your dread.
Don't be afraid of what man can do
or what a Confederacy might do.
You better be afraid of what God is
going to do.
Jesus said, don't be fear.
Those who can kill your body.
And after that have no power, but rather
fear him who after the body is dead,
is able to cast both soul and spirit
into hell.
Yes.
And you fear you him for God shall
be for a sanctuary, but for a, and
he shall be for a sanctuary, but for
a stone of stumbling and a rock of
offense to both the houses of Israel, a
gen or a trap and a snare to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Now here again is one of those prophecies
that suddenly just flashes the flash of the
Messiah again, even as Jesus became a stumbling
stone to the Jew, a rock of offense
and Paul the apostle refers how that Jesus,
we preach unto you, Christ crucified to the
Jew, a stumbling stone to the Greek foolishness,
but unto us who are saved the power
of God unto salvation.
So Christ became a stumbling stone to the
Jew.
And even as it is prophesied here and
many among them shall stumble and fall and
be broken and be snared and be taken,
bind up the testimony, seal the law among
my disciples.
And I will wait upon the Lord that
hides his face from the house of Jacob.
And I will look for him.
Behold, I and the children whom the Lord
has given to me are for signs.
Now this is Isaiah.
He and his children, their names especially were
to be for signs and for wonders in
Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwells
in Mount Zion.
And when they shall say unto you, seek
unto them that have familiar spirits and unto
the wizards, those that peep and mutter should
not a people seek unto their God for
the living to the dead to the law
and to the testimony.
If they speak not according to this word,
it is because there is no light into
them.
Now people were looking to the spiritist to
guide them.
They were looking to a communication with the
dead for guidance, for instruction, for wisdom.
And God speaks out against this.
Should you not actually seek a living God
rather than the spirit of a departed dead
person?
And yet it's amazing how many people today
are involved in spiritism who are seeking to
communicate with spirits, the spirits of the dead,
and how many feel that they have actually
come into contact with the spirits of dead
people.
So many people into this who are writers
and all, who have guides who direct them
in their writing.
Some famous author of the past and they
feel that they are guiding them and so
forth, spirit guides.
And people are looking to the dead for
advice and for counsel.
But should you not be seeking the living
God for counsel and to the law of
God and to his testimony?
Now as we get into chapter nine, he
said, nevertheless, the dimness shall not be as
such as was in her vexation.
When at the first he lightly afflicted the
land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali
and afterward did more grievously afflict her that
was by the way of the sea beyond
Jordan in the Galilee of the nations.
Now the invasion of course began with the
north and the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali
were in the northern part, the upper Galilee
regions.
There's where the invasion began.
When they began to move into there, you
would think that the people would repent and
turn to God and really seek the Lord,
but they didn't.
Now again, he leaves the immediate scene and
prophecy flashes to the future.
And here is where you come into prophecy.
The people that walked in darkness, that is
the Gentile world, have seen a great light
and they that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death upon them, half the
light shined.
Now it's multiplied the nation and not increased
the joy.
They joy before the, according to the joy
and harvest and the men rejoice when they
divide the spoil for thou has broken the
yoke of his burden and the staff of
his shoulder and the rod of the oppressor
as in the day of Midian.
For every battle of the warrior is with
confused noise and the garments rolled in blood,
but this shall be with a burning and
a fuel of fire.
And now the fabulous prophecy concerning the birth
of Jesus Christ and his ministry for unto
us, a child is born unto us.
A son is given and the government shall
be upon his shoulder and his name shall
be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the
everlasting father, the Prince of peace and that
the increase of his government and peace, there
shall be no end upon the throne of
David and upon his kingdom to order it
and to establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth, even forever the zeal of
the Lord of hosts will perform this.
So the beautiful flash of inspiration, prophetic inspiration,
as Isaiah again looks beyond the immediate turmoil,
this Confederacy with Syria and and Samaria, it's
not going to stand.
It's going to fall.
A series is going to move in and
take that territory.
A series is going to come down into
this area, but they won't take this area.
But on down into the future, the hope
of the future isn't in man.
The hope of the future is in a
child that would be born of a virgin.
For unto us, a child is born that
is looking at the birth of Jesus Christ
from the human side.
The child is born in Bethlehem.
For unto you is born this day in
the city of David, a savior, which is
Christ the Lord.
A child is born looking at it from
the divine side.
A son is given the two aspects from
the human side.
The child is born from the divine side.
It's more than just a child born.
A son is given.
God so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten son.
Humanly, a child is born divinely.
A son is given and the government shall
be upon his shoulder.
Now that portion of the prophecy is not
yet fulfilled.
That portion of the prophecy is yet to
be fulfilled.
Now this is why and please let's have
mercy and understanding for the disciples.
They were completely confused with Jesus.
They were looking for their Messiah.
They were waiting for the Messiah, anticipating the
Messiah, for they knew these prophecies.
And whenever Jesus would start to talk about
his death, they would get bugged.
Because they didn't want to talk about his
death, they wanted to talk about him sitting
upon the throne of David.
They wanted to talk about the kingdom and
the reigning over the world.
And so every time he would bring up
the fact that he was going to be
crucified, Peter said, Oh Lord, be not far
from thee.
Peter began to rebuke him for talking about
his crucifixion.
He in turn got rebuked.
They didn't understand.
And they were always saying, Lord, when are
you going to set up your kingdom?
When is that aspect going to come?
Jesus said, Hey, there's a job to be
done in the meantime.
Don't, you know, that's a point in the
father, his time, he's going to do that.
But in the meantime, there's a job to
be done.
Now the kingdom shall be established.
This portion of the prophecy is yet unfulfilled.
The child was born.
The son was given, given in a way
that they didn't anticipate.
His life was given as a ransom for
our sins.
But now we await the day when the
government will be upon his shoulder.
But that day will come very soon.
I'm convinced of that.
When Jesus returns to set up the kingdom,
the government will be upon his shoulder and
his name will be called wonderful.
Counselor, the mighty God, whose name is going
to be the mighty God, the child that
was born, the son that was given.
Oh, how that bugs the Jehovah witnesses.
Even more, the everlasting father and the prince
of peace, his name and of the increase
of his government and peace, there shall be
no end.
And he shall reign for ever and ever
of the increase of his government visa should
be in thinking of Micah's prophecy and thou
Bethlehem of Judea, though thou be little among
the provinces of Judah yet out of the
shall come.
He who is to rule my people, Israel
who's going forth is from henceforth even for
ever.
Ruler on the throne of David and upon
his kingdom to order it, to establish it
in with judgment and with justice from now
on, even forever for the zeal of the
Lord of us.
A fabulous prophecy of that yet future time
when Jesus comes and establishes the kingdom coming
again, empower and in great glory, not coming
as a child, as a servant to die.
He died once and for all.
He's coming now to reign to establish his
eternal kingdom.
Now God is going to bring his judgment
upon these people and he comes back now
to the immediate.
The Lord sent a word into Jacob and
it has lighted upon Israel and all the
people shall know even Ephraim.
That is the Northern kingdom and the inhabitant
of Samaria, the capital of the Northern kingdom
that say in the prideness and the stoutness
of heart, the bricks are falling down, but
we will build with human stone.
In other words, uh, they've attacked us and
they've knocked down our bricks, but we will
build with stones.
The sycamores are cut down, but we'll change
them into cedars.
Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries
of resin against him and join the enemies
together the Syrians before and the Philistines behind
and they shall devour Israel with an open
mouth for all of this.
His anger is turned, is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
In other words, God is going to start
bringing Samaria.
Even the Confederacy that they've made was resin.
Syria is going to come against Samaria and
they will be joined by the Philistines in
the attack.
But even that the people's hearts are stiffened
and hardened against God and thus God continues
his judgment.
His hand is stretched out still because this
isn't going to change them and bring them
revival for the people.
Turns not they turn not unto him that
smites them.
Neither did they seek the Lord of hosts.
Now God oftentimes brings judgment into our lives
or chastisement into our lives or judgment into
the life of a sinner in order to
turn that center onto God.
And if you don't respond, it will get
worse and worse and worse until you'll finally
be destroyed.
And so the nation, his hand is stretched
out still for all of this.
They will not turn to God.
They will not hearken.
Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel,
the head and the tail, the branch and
the Russian one day, the ancient and the
honorable men, the older men or the head
and the lying prophets are the tail.
God's going to wipe them out for the
leaders of this people caused them to err.
And they that are led of them are
destroyed.
That's the tragic thing.
When the leaders and supposed spiritual leaders are
leading the people into error.
Jesus said, if the blind lead the blind,
they're both going to fall in the ditch.
That makes sense.
And if people are following blind leaders, false
prophets, who are leading them into error, then
the people will be destroyed.
I think of Jim Jones and that tragedy
of gown of which never needed to be
except that he began to put himself and
his word above the Bible.
He began to be the God unto the
people.
The people were left without a true authority
of God's word.
They were led to challenge and to doubt
the word of God as authority.
And they began to accept the word of
man as an authority.
There are a lot of people today who
are being led by false prophets.
There are so many heights in the world
today.
So many of these big named ministers, evangelists
and all who are using totally worldly practices
in order to try to gain support for
their ministries, sending out these letters in which
they are begging for funds.
But there is such a total inconsistency in
it all.
If anybody has eyes, surely they can see
the inconsistency in these letters that are being
sent out.
They used to have a radio station down
in Del Rio, Texas that used to broadcast
every wild evangelist in the country.
And the gimmicks that these guys would offer,
you can't believe.
There was one fellow who was offering miracle
wallets and you could send in for this
miracle wallet and he guaranteed that you'd never
be broke as long as you kept this
miracle wallet.
Bless of God, a miracle wallet and it
will always have something in it.
And he would, you know, ten dollar donation
and all, you'd get this miracle wallet.
But then he'd say, now friends, I want
to talk to you about a program.
We're needing your support and if you don't
send your support right away, we're going to
have to go off the air, friends.
So please now send in your ties and
your offerings so that we don't have to
go off the air.
And if you give a generous offering, I'll
send you the miracle wallet, you know.
Man is that inconsistent.
Why doesn't he use one of the wallets
himself and stay on the air?
And so they send these poor mouth letters
where our ministry is being threatened.
We're not going to be able to carry
on this great program of God.
Well, they usually don't say the great program,
our great ministry.
We won't be able to carry it on
unless we hear from you.
And if we hear from you, we will
send you our free book on how to
be healthy, wealthy and wise, how to have
more faith.
Well, why don't they exercise their faith as
far as the funding of the program or
their possibility thinking?
Why don't they use that for themselves?
Why do they have to send out letters
begging people for the funds?
And why in the letters do they say
we are trusting in you?
That's why, because they are trusting in you
and not trusting in God.
And that's why they're having financial problems.
If they were trusting in the Lord, they
wouldn't be going through the financial problems.
But you can read the inconsistencies right into
the letters.
And those that follow them are being led
astray.
The blind are leading the blind.
The leaders of this people cause them to
err.
And they that are led of them are
destroyed.
It's tragic.
Tragic indeed.
All of the spiritual hype that is going
on in the country today, all of these
computerized letters that these people are receiving.
We received a letter the other day with
the check enclosed.
Person said, we really enjoy your program and
we wanted to send in some support, but
please don't put us on a mailing list
because this is all we're going to send,
you know.
And I wrote back and I said, thank
you for your check.
Rest at ease.
We don't have a mailing list.
We don't need a mailing list.
I don't read of Paul the Apostle or
Jesus using mailing lists to support their missionary
endeavors.
They trusted in the Father.
It was neat.
I was up in Napa Friday night at
a special service.
The auditorium was just packed.
People standing around on the outside.
And it was so glorious that I could
stand before those people and say, I'm not
here tonight because I had nothing else to
do for.
I have a lot that I could be
doing this evening.
I'm not here tonight because I need an
offering because I'm not going to receive one
penny of the offering that you gave tonight.
It's not one penny comes to me.
In fact, I said, we spent more money
coming up here and putting future survival on
your television than what the offering will even
cover.
It won't even cover expenses.
But that's not why we're here.
Because I have a very wealthy father who
takes care of my own needs and my
expenses wherever I go.
So we're not up here depending on you.
And it's so glorious to be able to
say that.
To go into a community and not say,
well, we're going to have to have $10
,000 in order.
But just to go in and say, hey,
we're here for one reason, because we believe
that Jesus Christ is coming soon.
And he sent us out to warn you,
you know, and to just be able to
go out and freely preach the gospel and
not have to, you know, beg the people
for money or anything else, because that always
makes to me the whole issue suspect.
If you get up and spend the first
hour in taking up an offering, you know,
and telling the people, the great needs, you
really wonder, why did they try and get
me out here tonight?
Well, therefore, the Lord shall have no joy
in their young men.
Neither shall he have mercy on the fatherless
or the widows for everyone is a hypocrite,
an evil doer.
Every mouth speaks folly for all of this.
His anger is not turned away, but his
hand is stretched out still, even in all
of this, when they become desolate.
Still, they're not turning for wickedness burns as
a fire and it shall devour the briars
and the thorns and shall kindle the thickets
of the forest and they shall mount up
like the lifting up of smoke.
And through the wrath of the Lord of
hosts is the land darkened and the people
shall be as the fuel to the fire.
No man shall spare his brother.
He shall snatch on the right hand and
be hungry.
He shall eat on the left hand and
they shall not be satisfied.
They shall eat every man, the flesh of
his own arm.
Manasseh eat from, eat from Manasseh and they
together shall be against Judah.
For all of this, his anger is not
turned away, but his hand is stretched out.
Still, the stretched out hand of God in
judgment, but still the people are not turning,
but staying abdurate in their ways.
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees and
that right grievousness, which they have prescribed to
turn aside the needy from judgment, to take
away the right from the poor of my
people, that widows may be their prey and
that they rob the fatherless.
And this is the thing that upsets me
most.
I think about these computerized letters and all
is they go out to these poor little
widows on social security.
And these little, you know, these people are
sending in their money to these guys that
are driving Cadillacs and living high.
That just calls me.
They're making a prey of the widows.
They're robbing the fatherless.
These people that can't afford it.
And yet they, you know, they don't have
enough sense to read between the lines and
they send in their pension money to these
fellows.
Oh, that is upsetting to me.
You know, they live in fancy mansions and
God's going to deal with them.
Woe unto them.
You betcha.
Whoa.
In second Peter chapter two, but these were
false prophets all, but there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall
be false teachers among you.
How are you going to know them who
privately will bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them and bring upon
themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways by
reason of whom the way of truth shall
be evil spoken of.
And through this is how you recognize them
through covetousness shall they with feigned words, make
merchandise of you.
Anytime a person by flattery or feigned words
seeks to make merchandise of you, you know,
he's a false prophet.
A true shepherd is interested in feeding the
flock rather than fleecing the flock.
Pray for me.
God help me.
I could, the Bible says, suffer not thy
mouth to cause you to sin.
And I have to be careful that I
don't let my mouth get me into deeper
trouble.
What will you do in the day of
visitation?
That is the day when God visits in
his judgment in desolation, which shall come from
far to whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your glory without
me?
They shall bow down under the prisoners.
They shall fall under the slain for all
this.
His anger is not turned away, but his
hand is stretched out still going deeper and
deeper.
And yet they continue in their ways and
God's hand is still stretched out.
So God is going to use a Syria
now as a rod to punish the Northern
kingdom.
Oh, a Syrian, the rod of my anger
and the staff in their hand is my
indignation.
I will send him against a hypocritical nation
and against the people of my wrath.
Well, I give him a charge to take
the spoil and to take the prey and
to tread them down like the mire in
the streets.
How be it?
He mean, if not so, neither does his
heart think so, but it is in his
heart to destroy and to cut off the
nations.
Not a fruit few for he said, are
not my princes all together as king and
is not Kalno as car commission.
Hey, Matt, as our fed and is not
Samaria as Damascus.
In other words, I've destroyed these other capital
cities.
I've destroyed these other nations and aren't one
just like another.
I'll just go through and wipe them all
out.
Now, here's an interesting thing.
God says, I'm going to use a Syria
as the rod of my judgment to come
down and to wipe out Samaria.
And yet, though a Syria is used as
God's rod of judgment, because a Syria destroys
God people, then God's going to wipe out
a Syria.
They didn't realize that they were being used
of God in this, and they began being
lifted up in pride.
Now, the interesting thing, when you go back
into, uh, Chronicles and you read of Hezekiah,
when Sennacherib came against Jerusalem
and he began to challenge the men who
were sitting there on the wall, he said,
don't let Hezekiah the king tell you that
God is going to take care of things
that God will defend you.
For where are the gods of the Syrians?
And it began to name all of these
nations that they have conquered.
Their gods weren't able to help them, and
neither is your God able to help you.
Don't listen to Hezekiah.
He's telling you just, you know, don't worry.
God's going to say, listen, the other gods
weren't able to handle them and your God
isn't able to handle you.
And the very thing that Isaiah predicted is
actually the very taunt that the Assyrian ambassador
spoke against the people.
And so because God said, because they said,
I'm not able to defend, watch what I'm
going to do.
And in one night, the angel of the
Lord went through the camp of the Assyrians
and wiped out 185,000 of the first
line troops.
Just broke the back of the Assyrian invasion.
They woke up in the morning, the Israelis
did, and looked out and their enemy was
just nothing but a bunch of corpses out
there.
185,000 in one night.
An angel of the Lord.
That is always interesting to me to realize
what one angel can do in one night.
Because I remember the statement of Jesus when
Peter drew his sword to defend the Lord.
You know, so many times we're seeking to
defend the Lord.
I'll defend you, Lord.
The day the Lord needs my defense, he's
in big trouble.
The day he, just like the day he
needs my support to keep his program going.
He's not able to keep his own program
going.
I'll never keep it up.
Jesus said to Peter, hey, put away your
sword.
Don't you realize, Peter, I could call 10
,000 angels that would come to my defense.
In fact, even they're chomping at the bit.
Don't you realize I could call 10,000
angels?
Put your sword away, Peter.
The cup that the Father has given me
to drink, shall I not drink it?
You know, I'm in control, Peter.
Don't worry about it.
I'm on the throne.
I'm in control, Peter.
Put your sword away.
Now, I'm in control.
I could call 10,000.
I could get out of this if I
wanted, is what he is saying.
But the cup that the Father has given
me to drink, shall I not drink it?
If one angel could wipe out 185,000
Syrians in one night, surely the 10,000
angels could have delivered him easily out of
the hand of those Roman soldiers and the
high priest and anybody else.
But he drank the cup for you and
for me.
He submitted himself unto the will of the
Father, and he paid the price that you
might have redemption, that you might have the
forgiveness of your sins, that you might be
able to dwell with him eternally in his
kingdom.
Now, inasmuch as he has purchased that for
you, isn't it rather ridiculous that a person
not accept now the offer that he gives,
since he's paid the price for it, and
all you have to do is accept it.
It is rather foolish not to accept it.
So, the Assyrians are going to be lifted
up with pride because God is delivering Samaria
into their hands.
They're going to think that they've done it
themselves.
As my hand hath found the kingdoms of
the idols in whose graven images did excel
them of Jerusalem and of Samaria.
In other words, they're going to think that
their gods are superior, and that's why they
are conquering these other lands, because their gods
are superior.
And that's exactly what Sennacherib said.
Wherefore, Rabechek, who was the spokesman for Sennacherib,
wherefore, it shall come to pass when the
Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount
Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the
Assyrians, those with the stout heart of the
king of Assyria, and the glory of his
high looks.
I'll put him down, and God did.
Wiped him out on an eighty-five thousand.
And Rabechek went back and was assassinated in
his temple, even as the prophet declared he
would be.
For he saith, By the strength of my
hand I have done it, and by my
wisdom, for I am prudent, and I have
removed the bounds of the people, I have
robbed their treasures, I have put down the
inhabitants like valiant men.
And my hand hath found as a nest
of riches of the people, and as one
gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered
all the earth, and there was none that
moved the wing, nor opened the mouth, or
peeped.
So the Assyrian began to exalt himself.
I, I, I, I have done all of
this, not realizing that he was just a
tool that God had used.
He was just an instrument that God had
used.
And inasmuch as he was just an instrument
in the hand of God, God said, Shall
the axe boast itself against him that chops
with it?
The axe is only the instrument.
The axe without a man's hand, without the
man's arm, is just lying there dormant.
It can't do a thing.
It's only when the axe is being used
by a man that it can have any
value in chopping.
Shall the saw boast against the guy who
is shaking it?
In other words, the instrument should never seek
to take glory in itself.
The glory should go to the one who
uses the instrument, for the instrument by itself
can do nothing.
Now, what a lesson that is for us
tonight, who seek to be instruments in the
hand of God.
Shall the axe boast against him that heweth
with it?
Or the saw against him who is shaking
it?
All I can be is an instrument in
the hand of God.
Anything that comes forth of any value out
of my life, I cannot take credit for
it.
I am only an instrument.
And if God's hand isn't upon me, if
God isn't using me, then whatever I do
is absolutely worthless and useless.
Without God's hand I'm just lying dormant.
I can't do a thing.
Of and in myself I can do nothing.
And therefore it would be totally wrong and
foolish for me to try to take credit
for anything that God has wrought, because at
best I am only an instrument in the
hand of God.
And the glory and the credit to whatever
has been accomplished should always go to God,
never to the instrument.
The instrument is never to bolster glory itself
or in itself.
It is only an instrument and nothing more.
And your life is just an instrument in
the hand of God.
And if God uses you, praise the Lord,
that's great, but don't take glory for it.
Don't think, oh, look at me.
God used me.
Well, the reason why He used me is
because I was so sharp.
You know, some way we want to get
credit in there for ourselves.
Not so.
Just be an instrument.
Let God use you.
And then give glory to God for whatever
comes of it.
Because to God be the glory.
Great things He has done.
As if the rod could shake itself.
Can't.
As serious as my rod, but it can't
shake itself.
Against them that lift it up or the
staff should lift up itself as if it
were no wood.
Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
send among His fat ones leanness.
And under His glory He shall kindle a
burning like the burning of a fire.
And the light of Israel shall be for
a fire and the Holy One for a
flame.
And it shall burn and devour His thorns
and the briars in one day and shall
consume the glory of His forest and of
His fruitful field, both soul and body.
And they shall be as when a standard
bearer fainted.
And the rest of the trees of the
forest will be few that a child may
write them.
In other words, He's going to wipe them
out and a child will be able to
count the remnant that remains.
And a child could count the soldiers that
came back from the Assyrian invasion of Judah
after God fulfilled His word and wiped them
out because of their pride, because they began
to glory in themselves rather than the fact
that God was using them.
Now Isaiah looks forward to a yet future
day, very soon to be fulfilled.
When God preserves His remnant in the great
tribulation, as God takes the remnant and preserves
them down at the rock city of Petra
during the time of the great tribulation.
We will get more of this when we
get to chapter 16 and chapter 26.
But now Isaiah looks forward to the great
tribulation.
And it shall come to pass in that
day that the remnant of Israel and such
as are escaped of the house of Jacob
shall no more again stay upon him that
smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel in truth.
You see, they have been deceived by the
Antichrist who, when he comes into power, he
makes a covenant with the nation Israel whereby
he helps them to rebuild their temple.
And because he helps them to build their
temple, they're going to acclaim him as their
Messiah.
An interesting thing today, if you go to
Israel and you ask them about the Messiah,
of course they disclaim Jesus Christ as being
the Messiah.
You talk to the Orthodox Jew, they'll tell
you they are expecting the Messiah any time.
In fact, there are little prophets that are
going up and down the streets of Jerusalem
telling them that their Messiah is coming in
1981, 82.
And the people are generally looking for the
Messiah because the nation is in very serious
shape.
In fact, 40% of the people in
Israel in a recent poll said that they
would prefer a dictator to their present form
of government because the government has been inept
in handling the crisis of the inflation and
so forth.
And people are really discouraged with their present
form of government.
40% said they would like to see
a dictatorship.
Now to these people, you talk to the
Orthodox Jew and you say, how are you
going to recognize your Messiah when he comes
and they will tell you he will help
us build our temple.
That's what the Orthodox Jew is looking for.
A man to come and help them build
their temple.
Now that is what the antichrist is going
to do.
Jesus said, I came to you in my
father's name.
You didn't receive me.
Another is going to come into his own
name and him you're going to receive and
they're going to heal this man.
They're going to claim him.
This is the Messiah.
They said, we're not looking for a divine
son of God.
We're looking for a man like Moses.
He's going to be just a man like
Moses is a man, but he'll help us
build our temple.
I've had them tell me that over and
over again.
Now the Bible tells us that's exactly what's
going to happen.
The prince of the people that shall come.
We'll make a covenant with the nation Israel,
but in the midst of the seven year
period after three and a half years, he'll
break the covenant as he comes to the
rebuilt temple, stands it and declares that he
himself is God.
So here we read about that.
The remnant that escaped Jesus said, when that
happens, when you see the abomination of desolation
standing in the holy place, as was spoken
by Daniel, the prophet, then flee to the
wilderness.
Don't even stop in your house to get
your coat, get out of here.
So the remnant that flees from Jerusalem will
no more again, trust in the antichrist, but
here will be the national conversion and they
will turn to the Lord and begin to
trust in him.
They will stay upon the Lord, the holy
one of Israel in truth.
And they're going to turn tremendous revival and
the remnant shall return.
Even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty
God, for though thy people Israel be as
the sand of the sea, yet only a
remnant of them shall return and the consumption
decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
God will, will, will destroy through the judgment
the world, but just a remnant will make
it through for the Lord.
God of hosts shall make a consumption, even
the determined in the midst of all of
the land, the great tribulation period.
Therefore, thus saith the Lord, God of hosts,
all my people that dwell in Zion, be
not afraid of the Assyrian for he shall
smite thee with a rod and shall lift
up his staff against thee after the manner
of Egypt for yet a little while and
the indignation shall cease and my anger in
their destruction and the Lord of hosts shall
stir up a scourge for him according to
the slaughter of Midian at the rock of
Oreb and his rod was upon the sea.
So shall he lift up at the manner
of Egypt and it shall come to pass
in that day that his burden shall be
taken away from off thy shoulder and his
yoke from off thy neck and the yoke
shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
That yoke that the Antichrist puts upon them
and all will be destroyed.
Now we are approaching the battle of Armageddon.
He has come to Aiath.
He has passed to Migron at Mikmesh.
He has laid up his tanks, chariots, carriages
up into the area of Megiddo and they
are gone over the passage.
They have taken up their lodging at Geba.
Rama is afraid.
Gibeah of Saul is fled.
Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Galen.
Cause it to be heard on Tileish, O
poor Anathoth.
Madmina is removed.
The inhabitants of Gibeam gather themselves to flee.
As yet shall he remain at Nob that
day he shall shake his hand against the
mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill
of Jerusalem.
Behold the Lord, the Lord of hosts shall
lop the bow with terror and the high
ones of stature shall be hewn down and
the haughty shall be humbled and he shall
cut down the thickets of the forest with
iron and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty
one.
So the prediction of this coming gathering together
of the nations for the battle of Armageddon
as they are gathering their tanks and all
together in the area for the huge battle.
Now, it is interesting that following in order,
the eleventh chapter where we begin next week
deals with the return of Jesus Christ in
glory.
And there shall come forth the rod out
of the stenum of Jetsi.
And chapter eleven gets into the glorious kingdom
age, which we are seeing now, of course,
this chapter ten as it's beginning to frame
around us.
The great day of the wrath of God,
but to be followed by the glorious kingdom
age.
So as you get into chapter eleven, we
get into a whole new dimension.
Now, as we move beyond this great slaughter
and and desolation to the glorious day of
the Lord and the establishment of his kingdom.
Oh, what a day that shall be.
So next week we will continue chapters eleven
through fifteen in the prophecy of Isaiah.
Shall we stand?
May the Lord be with you and may
the Lord be with you.
May your life be an instrument in God's
hand this week.
May you have that unusual joy of realizing
God's hand is upon my life and he
has used me.
May God help you to share his love
with those that are still sitting in darkness.
And may you experience the anointing of God's
spirit upon your life in a new and
a very special way as he empowers you
to do his work in Jesus name.