Archives for August 2022

OVERVIEW:

The judgment of Egypt; the judgment of Babylon; the judgment of Edom; the judgment of Arabia; the judgment of Jerusalem; the judgment of Tyre; the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom; the blessings of the Millennial Kingdom.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Isaiah prophesies to the judgment of Egypt as we come into chapters 19 and 20 today. He writes of the Lord riding “upon a swift cloud” coming in judgment into Egypt (19:1), wreaking such havoc and upheaval that it sends Egypt into a massive civil war. (19:2) Once again, though there was certainly an historical fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah’s day, it is also pointing to a different day, specifically, “THAT day”!  What day? “The day of the Lord”! The day of our Lord Jesus Christ’s Second Coming! 

Recognize that the Assyrian judgment of Egypt, that we are reading about today, is simply a prefigure of the judgment our Lord will execute upon Egypt in the near future! Isaiah sees a time when the land of Judah is preeminent in the world (19:17), and both the Egyptians and the Assyrians will be subject to Israel’s Messiah and worship Him. (19:18–23) During the Millennium, Isaiah sees these three former enemies, Israel, Egypt, and Assyria, all living in harmony, and blessed of the Lord. (19:24–25)

In chapter 20, God uses Isaiah to be a physical object lesson to warn the people of Judah who were seeking an alliance with Egypt against Assyria. God tells Isaiah to remove his outer garment and his sandals to picture what would actually become of the Egyptians and Ethiopians: the fact that they would become humiliated and destitute (“naked” and “barefooted”). He says that the Assyrians would expose the “buttocks” of the Egyptians (20:4), and because Judah had sought an alliance with them, that they, too, would be ashamed, and realize that rather than put their trust in Egypt, they should have trusted the Lord!

As chapter 21 begins, notice that “the desert of the sea” is a reference to the Babylonian plain by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Babylon is identified in 21:9 as the object of this prophecy, and once again, it becomes obvious that there is both an historic and prophetic fulfillment of God’s prophecy through Isaiah, as the words, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen” (21:9) are repeated in Revelation 14:8 and 18:2, to be fulfilled at the time of the Second Coming. Verse 10 lets us know that Babylon’s destruction will spell freedom for God’s people, Israel, who will have been “threshed” (i.e. beaten down, or afflicted). The remainder of chapter 21 deals with the judgment of Edom (21:11– 12) and the judgment of Arabia. (21:13–17)

Having prophesied God’s judgment upon the nations surrounding Jerusalem, in chapter 22, Isaiah prophesies God’s judgment upon Jerusalem. It is called, “the valley of vision” in 22:1 because Jerusalem was surrounded by valleys on three sides. From an historic standpoint, this is the judgment found in 2^nd Kings 25, as Babylon invaded Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar in 588–586 B.C. Notice, however, the tell-tale signs of a futuristic fulfillment at the Second Coming of Christ in 22:8, 12, 20, and 25 by the now familiar phrase, “in that day”!

In chapter 23 God prophesies that Tyre, the commercial trading center of the Mediterranean world, would be destroyed because of her pride. This prophecy was fulfilled, in an historical sense, by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. when he laid waste the city.

Note the word “Behold” in 24:1. The usage of the word “Behold” in scripture always points to a future event. What Isaiah is describing in chapter 24 is the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom. In the first six verses, Isaiah describes a universal judgment of the entire earth. The terms he uses to describe this judgment in verse 1 are tremendously graphic: “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.” In verses 13–16, Isaiah points to the fact that the godly remnant that survives the Tribulation Period will praise the Lord for His righteous judgments. The Apostle John sees the same fulfillment in Revelation 7:1–10; 15:3–4; 16:5, 7; 19:2. The remainder of the world will be judged in a horrific fashion, as described in 24:17–23.

In chapter 25, the millennium is described as a feast, or a banquet at which Gentiles from all over the entire world will bow their knee and worship Israel’s king who sits on His throne in Jerusalem, or “in this mountain”. (25:6–7, 10)

 SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”: 

• 19:16 – “in that day”  
• 19:18 – “in that day”  
• 19:19 – “in that day” 
• 19:21 – “in that day” 
• 19:23 – “in that day” 
• 19:24 – “in that day” 
• 20:6 – “in that day” 
• 22:5 – “it is a day of trouble”  
• 22:8 – “in that day”  
• 22:12 – “in that day”  
• 22:20 – “in that day”  
• 22:25 – “in that day”  
• 23:15 – “in that day”  
• 24:21 – “in that day”  
• 25:9 – “in that day”

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

• In ELIAKIM, MASTER OF HEZEKIAH’S HOUSEHOLD — Isaiah 22:20–22 (What is said of Eliakim is true of Christ, Who is the Master over the household of faith, and the one Who is the Possessor of the “Key of David” — Revelation 3:7; Hebrews 3:6; Galatians 6:10)

OVERVIEW: 

The judgment of Babylon; the judgment of Assyria; the judgment of Philistia; the judgment of Moab; the judgment of Damascus; the judgment of Ethiopia.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we move into chapter 13 today, we find ourselves in the midst of a transition. Whereas chapters 1–12 dealt with judgments specifically related to Judah and Jerusalem, chapters 13–23 broaden the prophecies of judgment to include the Gentile nations.

Because Babylon was the nation that destroyed Jerusalem and took the people of Judah captive in 586 B.C., it is no coincidence that Babylon is at the top of God’s list of the Gentile nations to receive the execution of His judgment! In 13:1–5, God prophesies concerning those who would actually wield His judgment, saying, “They come from a far country…” In an historical sense, those “from a far country” were the people of Persia, whose nation was positioned approximately 350 miles east of Babylon. In a prophetic sense, those who will “come from a far country” to execute judgment will be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ and the armies of heaven (Revelation 19:11–16) and will take place on this planet, “in that day”; in “the day of the Lord”! (13:6, 9, 13)

Once God has executed His judgment “in that day”, Isaiah says to the nation of Israel in 14:3, “And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.” Obviously, this is a reference to the peace and rest Israel will experience during the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. You just have to love the way God describes what it will be like when His kingdom has finally been established in 14:7: “The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.” Hallelujah! What a day that is going to be! Let us all say with the Apostle John, “…Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”  (Revelation 22:20)

Just as in Ezekiel 28:11–17, where the Lord was not just speaking to the king of Tyrus, but was also speaking to the power that was working in and through him (none other than Eden’s first “king”, Lucifer himself!), Isaiah 14:8–23 does the same basic thing. The passage has application to the king of Babylon, but is obviously also referring to the satanic power working behind and through that earthly king, and provides us with vital information concerning Lucifer’s fall. Notice in 14:13–14, Lucifer’s infamous five “I wills”:

• “I will ascend into heaven.” 
• “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.”  
• “I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.”  
• “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.”  
• “I will be like the most High.”

Each of these blasphemous declarations are tremendously significant and teach us many things about the location of heaven, and the position Lucifer once held. Notice that the presence of our Lord in heaven is way far out in a “northerly” direction (check out Psalms 75:6 and 48:2; Job 26:7 and 37:22), far “above the heights of the clouds”, and “above the stars of God”. Notice also that Lucifer had a “throne”(!!!) and, comparing Isaiah 14:14 with Ezekiel 28:13, that throne just happened to be in “Eden, the garden of God”! Hmmmm. 

Of significant importance is Lucifer’s fifth “I will,” because it foreshadows for us what has been Satan’s mode of operation all through the annals of human history. He is, first and foremost, a “deceiver!” Revelation 12:9 even identifies him as the one “which deceiveth the whole world”! Listen to that! He “deceiveth the whole world”! Satan has been successful in his evil campaign, not by presenting himself as Satan so he can turn the world into a bunch of Satan worshippers, or try to get all the inhabitants of the earth to hate God or to set themselves against God. No, what he seeks to do is COUNTERFEIT God by actually POSING to BE GOD, and, through RELIGION, deceive people into thinking that they are actually following God, loving God, and obeying God! We must be very discerning especially in these last days! (1^st Timothy 4:1; 1^st John 2:18) Don’t ever lose sight of the fact that Satan has always been impassioned to “be LIKE the most High”!

This may sound a little “back-woodsy” to some, but if I had a Bible that didn’t identify “Lucifer” in Isaiah 14:12, I’d get one that did! Satan has done a masterful job of writing himself right out of almost every church history book on the market, and in the past several decades, he’s also written himself out of almost every Bible on the market! Some Bibles refer to him in Isaiah 14:12, not as “Lucifer, son of the morning,” but as the “Morning Star”. Some actually even have cross references in the margin pointing people to 2^nd Peter 1:26, and then to Revelation 22:16, where the “Morning Star” is specifically identified as our very Lord Jesus Christ Himself!!! Again, I say, we must be very discerning, and fully acquainted with how the Bible says Satan operates!

Obviously, in the context, Isaiah 14:27 is talking about what God purposed concerning Babylon and Israel. Devotionally, however, it is a tremendous verse that also applies to anything and everything God has promised that is in accordance with His purposes for us as New Testament believers: “For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” 

In chapters 15 and 16, Isaiah prophesies the destruction of Moab. Though it definitely had an application for what would be happening in the near future in Isaiah’s day, don’t miss the fact that it also has application for what would be happening in the far distant future! Isaiah 16:5 refers to the time when Moab will seek refuge in Judah (16:3–4), and the rescue will come from the Lord Jesus Christ as He rises to his throne at His Second Coming, “judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.” (Compare Isaiah 16:5 with 9:7; 11:4; 28:6; 32:16; 33:5; 42:1,3–4; 51:5). Recognize, also, that though the prophetic application of this verse was in “the far DISTANT FUTURE” for Isaiah and those living in HIS time, its fulfillment will, no doubt, be “in the NEAR FUTURE” for those living in THIS time!

Chapters 17 and 18 prophesy the destruction of both Damascus and Ethiopia, and yet, is filled with verbal “icons”, as it were, that point to the time of Christ’s Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation Period, and the beginning of His Millennial reign. (17:4, 7, 9, 11; 18:4)

SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”: 

• 13:6 – “the day of the Lord” 
• 13:9 – “the day of the Lord” 
• 13:13 – “in the day” 
• 14:3 – “in the day” 
• 17:4 – “in that day” 
• 17:7 – “at that day” 
• 17:9 – “in that day” 
• 17:11 – “in the day” 
• 18:4 – “I will take my rest”

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

• As the ONE WHO WILL SIT ON THE THRONE OF DAVID — Isaiah 16:5 (Luke 1:32–33) 

OVERVIEW:

Isaiah’s message for King Ahaz; Christ’s birth and Kingdom foretold; Assyria to be broken; the promise of Israel’s restoration; Christ, the Branch.   

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The chapters in today’s reading (Isaiah 7–12) are sometimes referred to as “The Book of Immanuel” because of their clear prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep in mind, as we continue through this book, that Isaiah prophesied during the time period that is chronicled in 2^nd Kings 16–25, during the reigns of King Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.

Also keep in mind that the nation of Israel became divided after the death of Solomon with the 10 northern tribes being referred to as Israel, and the two southern tribes being referred to as Judah. The capital city of Israel was Samaria, and the capital city of Judah was Jerusalem. Though Isaiah’s ministry was centered in Jerusalem, his messages influenced both the northern and the southern kingdoms. 

As we pick up in chapter 7 today, understand that because of Assyria’s menacing power, the surrounding nations wanted to form a coalition to stand against her. King Ahaz of Judah, however, refused to join the confederacy, so Syria and Israel actually joined forces to attack Judah to try to force her to cooperate with them. (7:1-2) From 2^nd Kings 16:1– 9, we know that, rather than trusting the Lord to help, Ahaz was secretly negotiating with Assyria to protect to him. While Ahaz was inspecting the safety of the water supply, God sent Isaiah and his son, Shearjashub (meaning “the remnant shall return”), to give the king a message of confidence and hope. They tell him not to fear, because Israel and Syria would both be “broken” within 65 years. In the fulfillment of the prophecy, Assyria defeated Syria (Damascus) in 732 B.C., and defeated Israel in 721 B.C.

In 7:10–16, God wanted Ahaz to ask for a sign to confirm the prophecy, but Ahaz piously refused. The Lord then determined to give a sign to the entire “house of David.” (7:13) The sign is delineated in 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.” As with many of the prophecies in the Old Testament, there is actually a “double fulfillment” included in this sign. In other words, to affirm and confirm that the prophecy would be fulfilled in the future, God would often allow there to be a partial fulfillment of the prophecy in more of the immediate present. That seems to be the case in the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. This is an obvious reference to virgin birth of Jesus Christ, who was conceived of the Holy Ghost in Mary’s womb, Mary having never known a man. (Luke 1:31–35) The more immediate partial fulfillment of the prophecy, however, was that a child was to be born to Isaiah’s wife, as detailed in Isaiah 8:1–8. Apparently, Isaiah’s first wife, the mother of Shearjashub had died, and Isaiah had taken a new wife shortly after giving this prophecy, and the virgin he took to wife gave birth to a child by the name of Mahershalalhashbaz (meaning, “speed to the spoil, haste to the prey”) within the next year.

From 7:17 through 10:34, Isaiah is preaching to apostate Israel, warning the northern kingdom that Assyria would come upon them and completely annihilate them. It was at this very juncture that Mahershalalhashbaz was born; his very name pointing to the soon destruction of Samaria and Syria. (8:4)

In chapter 9:1–7, Isaiah gives a second prophecy concerning the coming Messiah. (Compare this prophecy with Matthew 4:13–16.) In 9:8 through 10:34, Isaiah continues to warn Israel of her impending ruin. At the same time, he warns Assyria not to become proud of her victories, recognizing that she would simply be a tool in the hand of God, and that she, too, would soon be defeated. Note also in this section, that Assyria is a type of the antichrist (“The Assyrian” – 14:25; 19:23; 30:31; 31:8; 52:4; Ezekiel 31:3; Hosea 5:13; 11:5; Micah 5:5–6) who will gather the nations of the world together in battle against Israel at Armageddon at the end of the Great Tribulation!

In chapters 11 and 12, Isaiah prophesies that Israel and Judah will unite in the Kingdom.

 SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”: 

• 7:18 – “in that day” 
• 7:21 – “in that day” 
• 7:23 – “in that day” 
• 9:7 – “and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it” 
• 9:14 – “in one day” 
• 10:3 – “in the day of visitation” 
• 10:17 – “in one day” 
• 10:20 – “in that day” 
• 10:27 – “in that day” 
• 10:32 – “that day” 
• 11:10 – “in that day” 
• 11:11 – “in that day” 
• 11:16 – “in the day” 
• 12:1 – “in that day” 
• 12:4 – “in that day”

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

• In the SON WHO IS BORN OF VIRGIN, CALLED IMMANUEL — Isaiah 7:14 (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:26-35)

• In the CHILD UPON WHOM THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER — Isaiah 9:6 (Revelation 11:15)