ISAIAH
ISAIAH : A prophet of Judah around 740 B.C., Isaiah, for
around fifty years revealed many of his thoughts and visions.
Some of these can be interpreted as having implications for the
future of the time of Isaiah or even possibly yet to come now. In
the "last days," Jerusalem would
be the main attraction:
- "And He shall judge among the nations, and shall
rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks:
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:4, from King
James' Version).
- "The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the
proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will
be humbled)," (Isaiah 2:12).
- "The people walking in darkness have seen a great
Light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a Light has dawned." (Isaiah 9:2).
- "See, the day of the Lord is coming -- a cruel day,
with wrath and fierce anger -- to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven
and their constellations will not show their light. The
rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give
its light." (Isaiah 13:9-10).
- "Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the
earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord
Almighty, in the day of His burning anger." (Isaiah
13:13).
- "So will it be on the earth and among all the
nations...gleanings are left (i.e., a few people will
remain)...They raise their voices, they shout for
joy...singing: 'Glory to the Righteous One'..."
(Isaiah 24:13-16).
- "In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the
heavens above and the kings on the earth below...the Lord
Almighty will reign on Mount Zion in Jerusalem..."
(Isaiah 24:21-23).
- "He will swallow up death forever...." (Isaiah
25:8).
- "...the deaf will hear...the eyes of the blind will
see...the humble (i.e., meek) will rejoice...ruthless
will vanish..." (Isaiah 29:18-20).
- "...with your own eyes you will see them (i.e., your
Teachers)." (Isaiah 30:20).
- "The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight
will be seven times brighter ..." (Isaiah 30:26).
- "All the stars of heaven will be dissolved and the
sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will
fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled
figs from the fig tree." (Isaiah 34:4).
- "Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute
tongue (i.e., person that can't speak) shout for
joy..." (Isaiah 35:6).
- "...the ransomed of the Lord...will enter Zion with
singing...Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow
and sighing will flee away." (Isaiah 35:10).
- "You who bring good tidings to Zion...say...'Here is
your God!'...with power, and His Arm rules for
Him..." (Isaiah 40:9-10).
- "...the Lord will be your everlasting Light, and
your days of sorrow will end." (Isaiah 60:20).
- "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered, nor will they
come to mind." (Isaiah 65:17).
- "The wolf and lamb will feed together, and the lion
will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the
serpent's food. They will neither harm nor
destroy..." (Isaiah 65:25).
- "For with fire and with His sword the Lord will
execute judgment upon all men..." (Isaiah 66:16).
Isaiah refers to the Messiah:
- "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a
Son, and will call Him Immanuel [meaning 'God with
us']." (Isaiah 7:14).
- "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is
given...will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6).
- "A Shoot (i.e., offspring)... from the stump of
Jesse...a Branch...will judge the needy...will give
decisions for the poor of the earth...The wolf will live
with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the
goat...In that day (possibly Judgment Day) the Root of
Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples; the nations
will rally to Him..." (Isaiah 11:1-10).
- "...My Chosen One...will bring justice to the
nations...will not falter or be discouraged until He
establishes justice on earth..." (Isaiah 42:1-4).
- "...My Servant will act wisely...His appearance was
so disfigured...His form marred...so will He sprinkle
many nations (or, 'so will many nations marvel at
Him')...But He was pierced for our transgressions...the
punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His
wounds we are healed...and the Lord has laid on Him the
iniquity (i.e, sins) of us all...was led like a Lamb to
the slaughter...After the suffering of His soul, He will
see the Light of Life..." (Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah
53).
Praising the Lord on Judgment Day appears to be the intent of
Isaiah 12. Everlasting life is the thought of
Isaiah 26:19:
- "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise.
You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for
joy...the earth will give birth to her dead."
Isaiah caused time to go backwards, reported in Isaiah 38:8 as
well as in 2 Kings 20:11. Isaiah told the Hebrews that they were
God's chosen people, and that God was always with them (Isaiah
9-20; 48:12-13; 66:22). However, Isaiah, speaking for the Lord,
said that the Hebrews had rebelled and that His
"servants" will be called by another name (Isaiah 65).
Isaiah often uses the description of the Potter (God) with the
people of earth being the clay turned into pots or jars
(Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8).
Isaiah stated these words from God about God:
- "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My
ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your
thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9).
Isaiah also told of God's interest in the Gentiles
(non-Jews):
- "Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord
say, 'The Lord will surely exclude me from His
people'...foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to
serve Him...these will I bring to My Holy Mountain (i.e.,
Jerusalem)...for My house will be called a house of
prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:3-8).
- "...They will proclaim My Glory among the
nations." (Isaiah 66:19).
Other important points from Isaiah:
- "The righteous (i.e., good people) perish and no one
ponders it in his heart...Those who walk uprightly enter
into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."
(Isaiah 57:1-2).
- "...if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light
will rise in the darkness, and your night will become
like the noonday." (Isaiah 58:10).
- "If you keep ...the Sabbath (the holy day, i.e.,
Saturday for Jews; now Sunday for most people, generally)
...holy...then you will find your joy in the Lord...ride
on the heights...feast on the inheritance..."
(Isaiah 58:13-14).
- "They have chosen their own ways, and their souls
delight in their abominations (i.e., bad things)."
(Isaiah 66:3).