Daily Truthbase: freedom

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Matthew 23-25 End Time Parables

Matthew 23-25 End Time Parables

Psalm 119:41-48 Liv'n It, Lov'n It, and Shar'n It

Ps 119:41 VAU “Let your hesed/loyal covenantal love also come to me, Yahweh, your salvation, according to your word. 42 So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in your word. 43 Don’t snatch the word of truth out of my mouth, for I put my hope in your ordinances. 44 So I will obey your law continually, forever and ever.

45 I will walk in liberty/freedom, for I have sought your precepts. 46 I will also speak of your statutes before kings, and will not be disappointed. 47 I will delight myself in your commandments, because I love them. 48 I reach out my hands for your commandments, which I love. I will meditate on your statutes."

Observations: 119:41-44 The psalmist hopes and trusts in what God has revealed: His hesed/loyal covenantal love. Expecting God to fulfill his covenanted responsibilities to save His servant, the psalmist fulfills his responsibility to obey.

119:45-48 As a result of seeking and applying God's word (meditation=thinking through implications for applications), the psalmist lives in freedom, loves God's word, and shares it with others.

Application: Those who experience the liberating benefits of God's word, love it, and share it with others; those who don't share it probably haven't experienced it.

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Prayer: Lord, thanks that Your word has made such a difference in my life, freeing me from sin, and delighting my heart; may I seek opportunities to share my love of Your word with others. Amen.

Proverbs 27:11-12 Dangers to Joy

Pr 27:11 “Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, then I can answer my reproacher. 12 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.“

Observations: 27:11 Wisdom results in joy to both the person who has acquired it, and those around him/her. The life of a wise child vindicates Biblical parenting. People who don't follow God nor His revelation will always rail against Biblical principles, particularly as they relate to parenting (as if God knows nothing about how to raise the creatures He's created). Compare the life of someone who is undisciplined and lives for the gratification of their selfish desires for temporal significance, sex, and success, with that of an other-centered individual who loves others with a view to eternal power, pleasure and possessions. Which brings more joy to parents and God?

27:12 A wise or prudent person has been trained to recognize or discern danger and take preventative action. The simple fool walks or runs right into danger and stupidly suffers, causing grief to those who love him/her.

Application: Know your danger areas, and take all prudent defensive action, from elimination, prevention, memorization, accountability, to fleeing.

Prayer: God, thanks for warning me in Your word of the dangers to joy, and for providing prescriptions for living happily ever after. Amen.

Matthew 23-25 In His last instruction to the multitudes and disciples, Jesus warns against false teaching and the judgments that will come at the end of the age so His followers will be blessed and rewarded rather than cursed and punished.

Matthew 23 Worthless Hypocrites Denounced

23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. 3 All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments, 6 and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men. 8 But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. 9 Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 14 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you obstruct/shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna as yourselves. 16 "Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 ’Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?’ 19 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. 22 He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it. 23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel! 25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also. 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.

33 You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna? 34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’"

Observations: 23:1-12 You can learn from bad examples, both what not to do, and when they tell you what is true. It's not that hypocrites don't know the truth, often they do, but they don't do it. The sign of an evil parent, boss, or religious or civic official, is that they demand of others what they don't do themselves. The pathetic creatures described by Jesus have no basis for self-worth. They are not doing what pleases God, so they can't feel God's pleasure when they obey. Since we're made to crave His affirmation, they try to get if from others, doing the silliest things. To keep myself amused in the presence of fools, I view the prideful as monkeys in a zoo who go through bizarre pacing and routines all day long. Once, they did a behavior that got someone to toss them a treat, or they saw another monkey get rewarded. So, they repeat the action hoping for another peanut. They link together a bunch of bizarre behaviors, having learned that if they persist they'll eventually get lucky, because it happened before. It's a lot like dating. But real and enduring affirmation comes from God, which He bestows on those who do what is right in His sight, and He sees the heart. Being other-centered to see the real needs of others, and sacrificially and humbly serving them is about as Christlike as you can get (unless you're good on skipping over the seas). Paul in Acts 28:3 is a great example. But the Pharisees of Jesus' day, and ours, think that doing things so others see and think well of them, will give them the worth a value they crave. They're doubly wrong: people are fickle so being a slave to their opinion is just stupid; doing things to be seen by men forfeits your reward from your Heavenly Father (Mt 6:1). You can't serve two masters either (6:24). How have you humbled yourself lately to serve others?

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...”

23:13-33 Jesus recites the riot act to the hypocrites with vehemence worse than a viper's bite (which he also compares them to). Do you think He's the tinniest bit angry? How about sarcastic? So much for the meek and mild Jesus. There are a couple of points worth highlighting beyond the condemnation. The blind religious leaders kept people from “entering” the kingdom. Up until this point enter has had the connotation of taking possession, more than that of stepping over the threshold. Jesus is viewing the religious leaders as blocking the entrance although the possession meaning is still here; one has to enter to take possession, as the end of verse 14 indicates.

23:23 This verse deserves its own line, because it sums up the weightier matters of the law in a manner consonant with most ancient wisdom literature: justice, hesed/mercy, and a faithful relationship with God, as in Micah 6:8 (The LXX translates the Hebrew hesed as eleos which has a component of loyal and compelling concern for others.) The righteous ordering of society, real relationships with others, and a loyal relationship with God, comprise the good life.

23:26 Bonus note: this is the only other occurrence of the Greek word for “inside/within” Strongs #1787, which denotes the surface area enclosed by the walls of the cup, not the molecules of the walls of the cup. Why is this significant? Luke 17:21 is the only other occurrence, and the only verse (falsely) cited to support the false teaching that the Kingdom from the heavens is something in one's heart, rather than that promised in the OT. If you look at the context of Luke 17:21, we have the same wicked Pharisees who were rejecting Jesus there, as here. Surely Jesus was not saying that the kingdom was in their hearts?

23:33-39 The hypocrites will suffer the punishment of Gehenna (differs from the lake of fire, see previous comments). Despite their injustice and rebellion, Jesus (who gives a glimpse of His pre-incarnate state), often wanted/desired/willed to gather them under His protection, but they would/desired/willed not. Here is a perfectly clear example of man rebelliously exercising His free will against God's will, and winning (in the short-term). But wait, there's more! The Messiah pronounces judgment against the nation (house/dynasty of Israel left desolate), until they repent (Romans 11). They, as a nation, will see Him, when they become receptive and recite Psalm 118:26, as the crowds did a few days (and chapters) previously on His triumphal entry (Mt 21:8). Despite their evil rejection, God does not abandon Israel, but they will suffer the consequences of their choice to sin, until they repent. Wait a minute, is this the OT or NT?

Application: Seek worth and value in the sight of God, by living justly, loyally, and faithfully, and you'll not care about the hypocrites, nor be like them.

Prayer: God, thanks that I can do what is pleasing in Your sight; please guide me in learning and doing all You desire. Amen.

Matthew 24 Tribulation and Teaching

24:1 Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, "You see all of these things, don’t you? Most certainly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down." 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming and of (the) end of the age?"

4 Jesus answered them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. 9 Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake. 10 Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. 12 Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. 14 This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 "When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house. 18 Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, 21 for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. 22 Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.

23 "Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it. 24 For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. 25 "Behold, I have told you beforehand. 26 If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. 27 For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together. 29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; 30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32 "Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near. 33 Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Most certainly I tell you, this generation/nation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 36 But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 "As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, 39 and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left; 41 two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come. 45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. 47 Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. 48 But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it, 51 and will cut him off, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There is where the weeping and grinding/gnashing of teeth will be.

Observations: 24:1-3 Jesus departs out of the temple (parallel to Ezekiel's vision) and sits on the Mount of Olives (on which Zech 14:4 says He will stand at His return). He foretells the destruction of the temple, signifying an end of temple worship as the Jews knew it. God would destroy the second temple and discipline His people, just as He had the first. He values obedience more than the finest religious building in the world. After the temple is destroyed, Judaism could no longer be practiced as specified in the OT. The disciples ask him two questions, when would the temple be destroyed and what what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age (they viewed the coming as ending the present age). The word for the end of the “age/world” is “aion” which is usually incorrectly translated as eternal or forever (which is impossible to do in this context). It was never used in Greek literature of an indeterminate period of time (except in some of Plato's usages), and in the NT it almost always refers to a definite period of time, like the Messianic age (although the end of the next chapter might be an exception). The word for “end” is “sunteleia” which means summary fulfillment, or consummation. It is used almost exclusively by Matthew (cx Heb 9:26) to describe the concluding judgment of the age (Mt 13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 28:20). Note that the next time the summary judgment is mentioned is in Mt 28:20, the last verse of the book. The rest of the references to “end” in this chapter are just “teleia” refering to an end goal or completion, without the “sun” prefix.

24:4-22 Jesus emphasizes the importance of not being deceived and going astray as a result of external events and false teaching (even that accompanied by miracles). The ones who endure to the end will be saved (in the glorification sense, since this can't be about justification by faith, nor deliverance; and the events parallel those of Mt 13:43, and elsewhere, where the righteous are rewarded). The gospel of the Kingdom (which is not heaven, but comes from the heavens as promised in the OT) will be preached in the whole world to all nations first. Then the abomination that causes desolation (see Daniel 8:13; 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 for details and timing), will come (in the middle of the Tribulation), and it's time to get out of town. This can't be the 167 BC appearance of Antiochus Epiphanes (which had already happened), nor is it fulfilled by Titus' destruction in AD 70 (since he didn't proclaim himself to be god, and by the time the Romans got to the temple most had already fled).

The greatest tribulation of all time can only be that of the future Tribulation, the final week of Daniel's prophesy, which will eclipse all others in extent and duration. The extended horrors of Hitler exceeded those of the AD 70 temple destruction (another point for the future tribulation). The days of doom accompanying the anti-Christ's persecution will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen people.

24:23-31 False christs and false prophets will be demonically energized to do miracles, signs, and wonders. Don't believe them. Those whose faith is based on anything other than the revealed word of God will be deceived. The coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of Man, to rule over Israel from Jerusalem will be impossible to miss. It will be as visible as lightening that is seen by everyone. There will be the carnage prophesied by Nahum (3:3) and others; the sun and moon and stars will darken (Isa 13:10; 24:23; Joel 2:31), etc, then the sign (herald/authentication??; we'll know it when we see it) of the Son of Man will appear. Then, finally, it will be followed by the Lord Himself in His glory! Everyone will see it, and all who had rejected Him will mourn. His angels will gather His chosen/choice ones per Matthew 13, (and then the kingdom ensues).

24:32-41 Jesus now answers the other “when” question. The remark about the generation not passing away has led many to falsely conclude that all this had to have happened before all the people listening to Jesus had died. Well the events described have clearly not transpired, and the judgments like the days of Noah have not been carried out. A generation refers to a group of people of common descent, and is appropriately used of the Jews as a nation at times (and this is one of them, in light of the context; (cf. Mt 17:17 where Jesus is not just berating his contemporaries). No one knows the day or hour when the Messiah will return to judge and rule, but Jesus does say one can know when it is near, and to be on one's guard.

24:42-51 Those who are on their guard, and watching for the return of Christ and the resulting judgment of their works, will be wise and faithfully doing what Christ wants; and as a result, will be blessed, and rewarded with being set over (rulership/dominion/life) those who were less faithful. The evil servant will suffer loss. The translation “cut in pieces” is legitimate in some contexts, but clearly not here, because after the cutting, there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is pretty difficult to do if you're in more pieces than you have teeth (even if you only had two teeth). Scourging is suggested by some, but there is a better translation. He will be cut off from blessing, just like God promised the unfaithful in the OT, and his portion/inheritance (or place) will be with the hypocrites, where it's all tears and teeth. This is not the lake of fire for those who aren't justified, or don't know God, but the outer darkness, excluded from the light of the city, where unprofitable servants serve their time. See comments on 25:30.

Application: Don't be deceived by falsehood, nor let your service be diminished by the delay of Christ's second coming; it will happen as surely as did His first one did, and you won't miss it, but you could miss out on the party.

Prayer: Lord, I know that none of Your words will pass away, and that all You have said will be fulfilled; may I be wholeheartedly doing Your will when You return, or when I go to meet You. Amen.

Matthew 25 Discriminating Judgments

25:1 "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

14 "For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. 18 But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 19 "Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them. 20 He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.’ 21 "His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 "He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.’ 23 "His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 "He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. 25 I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ 26 "But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. 27 You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. 28 Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. 30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. 36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’ 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ 40 "The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal/(of the age) fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 "Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’ 45 "Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal/(of the age) punishment, but the righteous into eternal/(of the age) life."

Observations: 25:1-13 The importance of being watchful (on guard) and ready is underscored in the parable of the ten virgins. Lamps could be a symbol for witness. (Oil as the HS is nice, but breaks down with the buy and sell part). In any interpretation, those who were ready experience the banquet feast of the delayed Bridegroom. Those who weren't ready were excluded. Again, this is not a justification by faith passage, but a reward passage, echoing that in Mt 7:21-23 from the “Lord, Lord” to the “I don't know you”.

25:14-30 The parable of the talents has both principles and parallels with reality.

The lord is going away, and will return;
He entrusts “his goods” to each of his servants, according to their ability;
He returns and demands an accounting of their stewardship;
He rewards them for what they've gained, based upon faithfulness not natural ability;
His reward is two-fold, being placed over many things, and entrance into his joy.

He commends the servants for five things:

they've done something,
they've done it well,
they've been good,
they've been faithful
they've been a servant.

One can't hear “well done” unless they've done something. The same goes for the rest of the word. The wicked, lazy, fearful servant, is a servant to whom things were entrusted, but who didn't use what he had received for the master's benefit (in Luke 19:13 they're told to trade). Even if his master was as described, he should have done something advantageous to the master with what had been given him. He looses what had been given him, and it was given to the faithful one. This cannot be forgiveness for sin, nor justification by faith, but only reward. What was given to the faithful one was something similar to what he already had (so it can't be justification) and something which would have value in the future (additional glory or bestowal of the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Glory???). The unprofitable servant is tossed into the outer darkness (not into the lake of fire) where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12 indicates that the unfaithful sons of the kingdom are in the darkness, and Luke 19 distinguishes the fate of the unprofitable from those of the enemies of the lord. The view most consistent with the occurrences of the phrase, and the rest of the teaching on the kingdom, is that the unprofitable servants are excluded from the light and glory during the kingdom, just like the unfaithful priests were excluded from the direct presence of God in the millennial temple (Ezek 44). The parable has nothing to do with forgiveness of sins, but is all about faithful service.

25:31-46 Jesus gets more explicit about the timing of this last judgment being that of the second coming of the Messiah, with glory and the angels, which was previously mentioned as the time when the Lord would reward faithful disciples. Rulership/dominion in the Millennial Kingdom would be part of the the reward for the twelve, as they sat on twelve thrones ruling over the tribes of Israel. Other disciples would be rewarded with rule over cities in return for their service (cf Luke 19:17). This judgment would usher in the Messiah's reign, as distinct from the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15) at the end of the kingdom before the eternal state. This judgment is of all nations (alive at the end of the Tribulation?), on the basis of how they treated the Messiah in the person of His “brothers” (faithful disciples/servants or all believing Jews). The sheep are those called “blessed by the Father” and receive the kingdom as an inheritance (reward) for service rendered (during the Tribulation) to the Jews. The goats are those who didn't serve. The judgment seems to go beyond that of exclusion from the benefits and reward of the kingdom, and is that of being cursed and suffering punishment in the fire prepared for the devil (diabolos = Hebrew for “goat”) and his angels, which is called the “lake of fire” in Revelation 19:20; 20:10,14-15. These last verses in Revelation make it clear that those cast into the lake of fire are those whose sins have not been forgiven and whose names are not written in the book of life. However, Matthew's (and Jesus') audience didn't have access to John's revelation. Not all the forgiven and healed serve; they are not unforgiven servants, but unprofitable servants (who wind up in outer darkness, not the lake of fire). The adjective aionios in Mt 25:41 & 46 (2x) means “of the age” but is usually translated as “eternal” or “everlasting” (which is usually incorrect, but here makes some sense). The lake of fire goes on and on, as in forever. However, most references to eternal life are clearly that of dominion or rulership in the Messianic Age (which if viewed as extending into the eternal state, would preserve the parallelism of an ”unending aionios” in 25:46). See comments on Revelation 20.

Application: Be a good steward of all that God has given you, using it to serve the Messiah, and His people, and you'll never have to worry about unfavorable judgment.

Prayer: Father, may I live to hear Your approval of "Well done, good, and faithful servant." Amen.

Digging Deeper

God in a nutshell: God had planned to destroy the temple and its bogus, hypocritical worship as a result of the religious establishment's rejection of the Messiah, who will return to jugde all and rule in the Messianic/Millennial kingdom as promised in the OT.

Build-a-Jesus: Jesus doesn't mince words in denouncing hypocrites, especially those who lead others astray. He will return to judge and rule, as promised. He is the Lord of Glory.

Us in a nutshell: Only those faithful to the Lord are acknowledged and blessed by Him. The unfaithful (but forgiven) hypocrites will spend their time in the kingdom weeping and regretting the life they wasted.

Where to Go for More:

Truthbase.net

Matthew complete text

Matthew 23

23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat. 3 All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments, 6 and love the place of honour at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men. 8 But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. 9 Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretence you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 14 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna as yourselves. 16 "Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 ’Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?’ 19 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it. 22 He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it. 23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel! 25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also. 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?

34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’"

Matthew 24

4 Jesus answered them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray. 6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. 9 Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake. 10 Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. 12 Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. 14 This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 "When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house. 18 Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, 21 for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. 22 Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened. 23 "Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it. 24 For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. 25 "Behold, I have told you beforehand. 26 If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. 27 For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together. 29 But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; 30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32 "Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near. 33 Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 36 But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 "As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, 39 and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left; 41 two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come. 45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. 47 Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. 48 But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it, 51 and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.

Matthew 25

31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. 36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’ 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ 40 "The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 "Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’ 45 "Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Isaiah 6-12 A Righteous Messiah and Remnant

Isaiah 6-12 A Righteous Messiah and Remnant

Psalm 73:1-20 Perilous Prosperity of the Wicked

Psalm 73:1 “(A Psalm by Asaph) Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone. My steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked...11 They say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?" 12 Behold, these are the wicked. Being always at ease, they increase in riches. 13 Surely in vain I have cleansed my heart, and washed my hands in innocence, 14 For all day long have I been plagued, and punished every morning. 15 If I had said, "I will speak thus"; behold, I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 16 When I tried to understand this, it was too painful for me; 17 Until I entered God’s sanctuary, and considered their latter end. 18 Surely You set them in slippery places. You throw them down to destruction. 19 How they are suddenly destroyed! They are completely swept away with terrors. 20 As a dream when one wakes up, so, Lord, when You awake, You will despise their fantasies..."

Observations: 73:1-3 This, and the next ten Psalms are attributed to Asaph (along with Ps 50), a musician, also called a seer in 2Ch 29:30. His confidence that God rewards the pure in heart slips as he enviously considers the prosperity of the wicked.

73:4-16 A catalog of the carefree wicked life leads Asaph to think he has cleansed his heart and kept his hands clean in vain, for the evil have it easy, and the pure have pain.

73:17-20 It's only when we step back and look at things from God's perspective that life comes into focus. When Asaph glimpses the future he realizes that God is just setting the wicked up for destruction. They will be destroyed and their fantasy of invincibility will dissipate as a dream when one wakes.

Application: Don't think the present is the future. God's just plans and promises will turn things around and in some cases, upside down.

Prayer: Lord, may I persist in purity, and hang my hope on the future You have promised, since that is the ultimate reality. Amen.

Proverbs 19:1-3 Who Causes Your Problems?

Pr 19:1 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool. 2 It isn't good to have zeal without knowledge; nor being hasty with one's feet and missing the way. 3 The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against Yahweh.“

Observations: 19:1 Another one of those "Betters."
19:2 The converse could also be true.
19:3 Like Adam, we blame God for the problems we've brought upon ourselves.

Application: Knowing and doing God's will zealously is all good.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the folly of blaming You for my blunders. Amen.

Isaiah 6-12 These chapters start with the commissioning of Isaiah, and end with a contemplation of the Messiah's righteous reign in Jerusalem. They contain some of the best known Messianic prophecies, as well as predictions of Judah's discipline and restoration. The post is a little long, but encompasses all the initial prophecies to Judah (Babylon next).

Isaiah 6 Cleansed and Commissioned

6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. 3 One called to another, and said, "Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory!" 4 The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 Then I said, "Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Hosts!" 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it, and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven." 8 I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am. Send me!"

9 He said, "Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand; and you see indeed, but don’t perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed." 11 Then I said, "Lord, how long?" He answered, "Until cities are waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and the land becomes utterly waste, 12 And Yahweh has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 If there is a tenth left in it, that also will in turn be consumed: as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stock remains when they are felled; so the holy seed is its stock."

Observations: 6:1-8 King Uzziah was one of the good kings of Judah, who didn't finish as well as he started, because he intruded into the temple and was struck with leprosy, becoming unclean. Isaiah sees the triply Holy God on His kingly throne in the midst of the praise of the seraphim. He is immediately conscious of his unclean lips (reflection of heart), which he confesses. Compared to the holiness of God, the best of humans is unclean. The application of a burning coal takes away his guilt/iniquity, and his sin is covered/forgiven. It is then that he hears God's voice seeking volunteers to serve. Seeing our sin and dealing with it via confession is the prelude to hearing God's voice. Knowing the uncleanness of his people, He responds to God's general invitation with putting himself at God's disposal, asking Him to use him.

6:9-10 Each of the major prophets is told that the people won't pay attention to them. So why send them? God sends prophets to vindicate His justice, so that when He judges, there is no excuse. Some hearers might respond, but the motivation of God's servant must be that of faithfulness to his Master. The heart, ears, eyes, eyes, ears, heart structure in verse 10 is called chiasim and emphasizes the center, the eyes. Israel saw God's works, but wouldn't listen to His words, and therefore didn't set their hearts to do His will. Isaiah's preaching would make their hearts fat/dull/insensitive (6:9) because they didn't want to submit to God.

John quotes this passage in Jn 12:37-42 to explain how people could fail to believe in the miracles they had seen.

[Note: John quotes from both Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 6, and attributes both texts to one prophet, Isaiah. Over half a dozen other NT passages do the same thing. It's clear that the NT authors viewed Isaiah as one continuous work, not something written by multiple authors.]

6:11 Isaiah asks how long God's people would reject Him; the sad answer is “until they are consumed, and only the underground root and stump remained."

Application: You don't need a call to serve God; you already have a written invitation; respond to it, and enlist in God's service.

Prayer: Holy God, You've saved me so You can use me in Your service. Here I am; whatever You want me to do, I will do. Amen.

Isaiah 7 Who You Gonna Trust?

7:1 It happened in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2 It was told the house of David, saying, "Syria is allied with Ephraim/Israel." His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind. 3 Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz 4 Tell him, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint 5 because Syria, Ephraim/Israel, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying... 7 This is what the Lord Yahweh says: "It shall not stand, neither shall it happen." 8... within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people; 9...If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’"

10 Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 "Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above." 12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yahweh." 13 He said, "Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.

Observations: 7:1-9 Ahaz, the very wicked grandson of Uzziah, is facing the united forces of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Syria. They had not prevailed against Jerusalem because Judah was still ruled by the House of David, according to the Davidic Covenant (2Sam 7), even though Ahaz was as bad as Ahab. Ahaz was looking to Assyria for help(2Kg 16:5-8), and God graciously sends Isaiah to encourage him to base the establishment of his kingship on belief/trust in God,rather than Assyria.

7:10-16 God offers to give Ahaz whatever sign he wants (Uzziah had asked for a sign that his promised healing would occur), that the promised security will come but Ahaz refuses to even comply with God's request (probably because of his plan to seek Assyrian help). So God gives the sign of Emmanuel (God with us). A young woman would conceive and bear a son, calling him Emmanuel. While still young, the enemies of Judah would be destroyed. Jewish custom considered the “age of accountability” to be thirteen, when a boy embraced the law for himself (Bar Mitzvah). This prophecy was initially fulfilled in Ahaz's day; Syria fell in a couple of years, and Samaria about a decade later (2Kg 15:29,30 16:9).

Matthew 1:23 applies verse 14, which is a promise that God would deliver His people, to the birth of the Messiah. The word used for virgin is that of an unmarried woman, who in Ahaz's day, got pregnant, and bore a son. See additional comments under the NT consideration of the topic.

7:17-25 Then God delivers the bad news, two different kings, from Egypt and Assyria, would devastate Judah, as agents of God. These are the very kingdoms that Judah would trust in to deliver them.

Application: Trusting in the ever-present Mighty God for protection is a far better choice than trusting in man, which usually backfires.

Prayer: Emmanuel, thanks that You are always with me; I trust in You, and not any frail human, to protect and deliver me. Amen.

Isaiah 8 Sanctuary or Snare

8:1 Yahweh said to me, "Take a large tablet, and write on it with a man’s pen, ‘For Maher Shalal Hash Baz’; 2 and I will take for myself faithful witnesses to testify: Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah." 3 I went to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. Then Yahweh said to me, "Call his name ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz.’ 4 For before the child knows how to say, ‘My father,’ and, ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria." 5 Yahweh spoke to me yet again, saying, 6 "Because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son; 7 now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. 8 It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through; it will reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, Immanuel.

9 Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! 10 Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand: for God is with us." 11 For Yahweh spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 "Don’t say, ‘A conspiracy!’ concerning all about which this people say, ‘A conspiracy!’ neither fear their threats, nor be terrorized. 13 Yahweh of Hosts is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. 14 He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel, he will be a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble over it, fall, be broken, be snared, and be captured."

16 Wrap up the testimony. Seal the law among my disciples. 17 I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of Hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion. 19 When they tell you, "Consult with those who have familiar spirits and with the wizards, who chirp and who mutter": shouldn’t a people consult with their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Turn to the law and to the testimony! If they don’t speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. 21 They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry; and it will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward, 22 and look to the earth, and see distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish. They will be driven into thick darkness.

Observations: 8:1-8 Mrs. Isaiah was a saint; “You're going to name him what????” The name means “swift to the spoil, hasten to the prey/plunder” or something like that. They probably just called him Baz. It's likely Baz was the fulfillment of the Immanuel prophesy of 7:14 (cf 8:8), indicating that God indeed was with them, as the king of Assyria destroyed Syria and Israel as predicted. Unfortunately, as also predicted, the flood waters of Assyria would do some damage to Judah because they trusted in Assyria rather than the gentle stream of Yahweh, who oversaw the land of Judah.

8:9-15 The only One to fear or dread is the Lord of Hosts, who is a sanctuary for those who trust Him and a snare or stumbling block for those who don't.

8:16-22 Those who don't trust Yahweh, their God, and turn to His Law and Testimony, but instead turn to chirpers and mutterers, will wind up distressed, anguished, and in darkness. No morning for them, only mourning. But those who trust, will shine with the Messiah (Hebrews 2:18 and Isaiah 9).

Application: If we trust in God's person and promises, and fear only Him, we won't need to fear anyone or anything else, and will end up in the light instead of in the darkness (chirp, mutter).

Prayer: God, I stake my security and success only on You, and will not seek the counsel or benefits of those who don't walk with You, who'll end up in darkness. Amen.

Isaiah 9 The Everlasting Father and Mighty God is Born

6 For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Hosts will perform this.

13 Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought Yahweh of Hosts. 14 Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day. 15 The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail. 16 For those who lead this people lead them astray; and those who are led by them are destroyed. 17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane/unholy and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness burns like a fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. 19 Through the wrath of Yahweh of Hosts, the land is burnt up; and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother. 20 One will devour on the right hand, and be hungry; and he will eat on the left hand, and they will not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm: 21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Observations: 9:1-7 In contrast to the gloom of the last chapter for those who don't fear and trust God, here God promises light and joy, freedom from oppressors (Mt 4:15-16), and a reign of peace by the Prince of Peace. The Messiah will bring in the righteousness and justice God required of His people in chapter 1. We can trust Him to bring about the complete fulfillment of His plan. Note that the child is called the Everlasting Father, and Mighty God, and He will sit on the throne of David, ruling over God's people, the Hebrews. It's hard to imagine how that could come to pass, unless God becomes man.

9:8-21 Four stanzas of judgment are pronounced (up to 10:4); each ending with “For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still.” Meaning God will continue to judge His unholy/profane(common) people. For their prideful self-reliance (9:8-12); evil civil and religious leadership (9:13-17); social wickedness (9:18-21); and unjust greed (10:1-4), God will not spare His wrath expressed through the rod of the king of Assyria, who get's his recompense in the next chapter.

Application: God wants righteousness and justice, and He will eventually personally establish it. In the meantime, He will punish the unrighteous and unjust. So it makes sense to turn to Him and seek Him and do His will now, or else we will suffer His wrath.

Prayer: God, I look forward to rejoicing in Your righteous reign, and I will seek to reflect Your desires in my relationships with others. Amen.

Isaiah 10 The Proud are Humbled

10:1 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees; 2 to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! 3 What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth? 4 They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

5 Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation! 6 I will send him against a profane/unholy nation, and against the people who anger me will I give him a command to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 However he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, "Aren’t all of my princes kings? 9...Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?" 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11 shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? 12 Therefore it will happen that, when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks. 13 For he has said, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers. 14 My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, I have gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped."

15 Should an ax brag against him who chops with it?...16 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire. 17 The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy one for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. 18 He will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints. 19 The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

20 It will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on Yahweh, the Holy one of Israel, in truth/faithfulness. 21 A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, will make a full end, and that determined, in the midst of all the earth. 24 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, says "My people who dwell in Zion, don’t be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did. 25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction." 26 Yahweh of Hosts will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt. 27 It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil. 33 Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low. 34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty one.

Observations: 10:1-4 See end of last chapter.

10:5-19 After using the king of Assyria to judge His proud people, who don't rely on Him, God will judge the pride of the king, for his failure to acknowledge Yahweh.

10:20-34 God gives comfort to His people, saying their discipline has a determined end, and then a remnant will return and God will destroy Assyria.

Application: God knows what He's doing, and will do what He's determined and promised, so His people have a basis for faith and hope.

Prayer: God, You have purposed to humble the proud and protect the humbled, may my daily dependence upon You always keep me in the latter camp. Amen.

Isaiah 11 The Righteous Branch and Remnant

11:1 A shoot will come out of the root/stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. 3 His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity/justice for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9 They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

10 It will happen in that day that the nations will seek the root of Jesse, who stands as a banner of the peoples; and his resting place will be glorious. 11 It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The envy also of Ephraim will depart, and those who persecute Judah will be cut off. Ephraim won’t envy Judah, and Judah won’t persecute Ephraim. 14 They will fly down on the shoulders of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the children of the east. They will extend their power over Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon will obey them. 15 Yahweh will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the River, and will split it into seven streams, and cause men to march over in sandals. 16 There will be a highway for the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, like there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

Observations: 11:1-9 Of all the wonderful characteristics of the Branch/Messiah, which is emphasized and elaborated upon? The fear of God. Probably a really really good thing to have. According to God's purpose, righteousness and justice will characterize His reign, resulting in peace. By His word the wicked will be slain, and the knowledge of God will fill/control the earth.

11:10-16 When the Messiah comes, all nations will seek Him at Jerusalem, His resting place. To which, He will again re-gather the Israelites, not just from Assyria, but the four corners of the earth. God will cut off Israel's enemies. God's plans for the Jews have not yet been accomplished, and are yet future. Topographical and geological changes in the earth will occur, and the nations will obey Israel.

Application: The characteristics of a Spirit filled/controlled believer, are wisdom, understanding, counsel (God's perspective), might/bravery, fear of the Lord, righteousness, and justice in dealing with others. These are all found through His word (recorded by the Spirit of Truth). How many of them do you own?

Prayer: God, may Your Spirit permeate my thinking, valuing, and actions, so that I accomplish Your purposes for me. Amen.

Isaiah 12 A Future Psalm

12:1 In that day you will say, "I will give thanks to you, Yahweh; for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation." 3 Therefore with joy you will draw water out of the wells of salvation.

4 In that day you will say, "Give thanks to Yahweh! Proclaim/call on his name. Declare his doings among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted! 5 Sing to Yahweh, for he has done excellent things! Let this be known in all the earth! 6 Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for the Holy one of Israel is great in the midst of you!"

Observations: 12:1-6 Isaiah prophesies that when the Messiah comes back to Israel, they will rejoice in His salvation, and give thanks that His anger is turned away. They will proclaim to all the earth the excellencies of His name and deeds. He will be in the midst of their praise on Mount Zion, Jerusalem. This hasn't happened yet.

Application: Those who've experienced God's discipline and deliverance in their lives should proclaim the manifold wonders of their God to others.

Prayer: God, You are my strength and song; I delight in Your deliverance of my life from sin, and your workings in my life in the present. I look forward to the time when all will know You as I do; may my praise of You further that objective. Amen.

Digging Deeper:

God in a nutshell: God is clearly in control of the events of our lives and history. Sin angers Him. He sends prophets to warn and comfort, and demonstrate His justice. He can use proud, evil people to judge His unsanctified people, and then judge the proud evil judger. He desires righteousness and justice (reflections of His character) and will eventually establish a righteous rule over the earth, when the Messiah sits on David's throne. He will again regather His people the Jews, in Jerusalem, where they will be the chief nation, and all other nations will seek Him there. He specifically marks out the enemies of Israel for destruction. When His knowledge controls the earth and the actions of its inhabitants, there will be peace.

Us in a nutshell: We can know and serve God when sanctified by Him, in response to our confession of sin. If we trust in anyone or anything other than God, we will regret it; they will fail us, or turn on us, and God will judge us for disloyalty. When our hearts are not set on seeking God, we won't be able to see or understand His works and purposes. The temporary gains of sin will be more than offset by the judgment God will bring upon us, particularly for injustice to our neighbor. We should proclaim the excellencies of God's name and deeds so others can know Him.

Where to Go for More:

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Isaiah complete text

Isaiah 6

Isaiah 7

7:1 It happened in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2 It was told the house of David, saying, "Syria is allied with Ephraim." His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind. 3 Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field. 4 Tell him, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 "Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it among ourselves, and set up a king in its midst, even the son of Tabeel." 7 This is what the Lord Yahweh says: "It shall not stand, neither shall it happen." 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people; 9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’"

17 Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. 18 It will happen in that day that Yahweh will whistle for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They shall come, and shall all rest in the desolate valleys, in the clefts of the rocks, on all thorn hedges, and on all pastures. 20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard. 21 It shall happen in that day that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep; 22 and it shall happen, that because of the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat butter: for everyone will eat butter and honey that is left in the midst of the land. 23 It will happen in that day that every place where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silver shekels, shall be for briers and thorns. 24 People will go there with arrows and with bow, because all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 All the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, you shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of sheep."

Isaiah 8

Isaiah 9

9:1 But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation. You have increased their joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as in the day of Midian. 5 For all the armour of the armed man in the noisy battle, and the garments rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Hosts will perform this.

8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it falls on Israel. 9 All the people will know, including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart, 10 "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone. The sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place." 11 Therefore Yahweh will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies, 12 The Syrians in front, and the Philistines behind; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 13 Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought Yahweh of Hosts. 14 Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day. 15 The elder and the honourable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail. 16 For those who lead this people lead them astray; and those who are led by them are destroyed. 17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 18 For wickedness burns like a fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. 19 Through the wrath of Yahweh of Hosts, the land is burnt up; and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother. 20 One will devour on the right hand, and be hungry; and he will eat on the left hand, and they will not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm: 21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 10

5 Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation! 6 I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me will I give him a command to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 However he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, "Aren’t all of my princes kings? 9 Isn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?" 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11 shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? 12 Therefore it will happen that, when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the wilful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks. 13 For he has said, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers. 14 My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, have I gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped." 15 Should an axe brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up someone who is not wood. 16 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire. 17 The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy one for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. 18 He will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints. 19 The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

24 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, says "My people who dwell in Zion, don’t be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did. 25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction." 26 Yahweh of Hosts will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt. 27 It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil. 28 He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage. 29 They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled. 30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth! 31 Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety. 32 This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 33 Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low. 34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty one.

Isaiah 11

11:1 A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. 3 His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9 They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 12

4 In that day you will say, "Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name. Declare his doings among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted! 5 Sing to Yahweh, for he has done excellent things! Let this be known in all the earth! 6 Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for the Holy one of Israel is great in the midst of you!"

Matthew 23-25 End Time Parables

Isaiah 6-12 A Righteous Messiah and Remnant

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