Powerful Prognostications - C. R. Oliver (find a book to read txt) 📗

THAT time forward, even forever." History did divide at his Birth, Ministry and Death. "THAT time" forward is for us, the bride. "THAT time" forward reaches into eternity and draws its confidence from a source the world cannot fathom on its own. THIS is the liberating gospel that must be preached! 

Upon the word of Isaiah, Simeon and Anna waited with expectancy. Upon the written promise of God, a virgin girl dared believe Isaiah's promise and carried through its pledge in her heart. Upon Isaiah's words, Jesus proclaimed His ministry to the Temple in Luke 4. The ZEAL of the Lord of hosts will perform this! A jealous God will preside over this! Listen, God is jealous over His people! Jesus is jealous about His Bride! 

A jealous God speaks and the following passage was made famous by 9/11 and used as text by many who view it as a statement of Pride that will be judged. (Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn) It was actually spoken to a historic event surrounding the northern kingdom.

Isaiah 9:9-10
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart: 
10'The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.'

This treatise against the enemies of God is punctuated by a single phrase that is repeated several times (See the repeat in vs.12, 17, 21; 10:4).

Isaiah 9:12
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah covers a range of topics which causes the hand of God to remain stretched out and brings about wave upon wave of His judgment.

1. The people who did not seek after God. V. 12

The head and tail will be cut off. V. 14
(Who are the heads: the elders and the honorable?)
(Who is the tail: the prophet who teaches lies?) 
The leaders of Gov't. and the Clergy are zoned in this passage, along with those who listen to them. (Those who listen are judged with them. Interesting!)
God determined no matter who was talking, Gov. leader or prophet, they were hypocrites and every mouth spoke folly. v17

2. The people of God who have not repented or who have not railed against wickedness. They will be "fuel for the fire." V. 19. (Talk about the Modern day church and its job in the world---rail against wickedness.) 

3. Brothers who devour each other like snakes locked in a circle.

Chapter 10: The way of Justice:

4. Those who decree evil. In other words, make regulations and pass laws that harm the defenseless and the poor and that give advantage to the legislators. (Sound familiar?) God will withdraw from such and they will fall among the slain. (Vs. 1-4 are part of the treatise in chapter nine).

These four groups keep the hand of the Lord outstretched. 

The Lord begins to spell out what He considers to be equity and fairness beginning with verse five and forward.

He asks some simple questions which are formed around one basic question: Should I treat one group one way and for the same sin treat another group differently? Verse eleven is succinct:

Isaiah 10:11
As I have done to Samaria and her idols,
Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?'"

What should be the lesson from this premise? 

God promises when He has purged Jerusalem, He will bring judgment against its persecutors. He calls them arrogant and egotistical and declares His glory-power will produce a consuming flame that will devour them. 

The three fires of God are: the flame of judgment, the fire of the Holy Ghost and the fire of Hell. Two of those fires are highly undesirable.

Isaiah 10:16-17
6 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Will send leanness among his fat ones;
And under his glory 
He will kindle a burning
Like the burning of a fire. 
17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
And his Holy One for a flame;
It will burn and devour 
His thorns and his briers in one day

The result of all this is simple, it culminates in a remnant who will trust ONLY Him.

Isaiah 10:20-23
And it shall come to pass in that day 
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who defeated them,
But will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God. 
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord GOD of hosts 
Will make a determined end 
In the midst of all the land.

Observe the tenderness the Lord displays to His people even before judgment falls upon them, like a Father who disciplines His child with tears in his eyes.

Isaiah 10:24-27
'O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.' 26 And the LORD of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt. 

27 It shall come to pass in that day 
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

Read and hear the pathos by which these words are spoken; note the thoroughness of the healing! YHWH promises vengeance upon those who are instruments of correction. Payback time is not pretty, nor is it desirable: ask Lebanon. 

Chapter 11: A Greater remedy waits in the future. 

Just as Jesus was portrayed masterfully in chapter nine, so this chapter paints a greater picture of Him who is the answer. Ever growing within the prophetic work of Isaiah is this focus on the "One who is to come." Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61 at the beginning of His ministry and declared that on that day "THIS prophecy is fulfilled." 

What chapter eleven reveals is an expansion of detail about what was given in chapter nine.

Isaiah 11:1-5
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

The reader can easily understand the place of these elements in the ministry of Jesus and the further glorification of His continual work in us. When Jesus was dealing with His disciples, He incorporated these attributes in His dialogue.

Luke 21:15
5 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

Paul took up the dual aspects of this spiritual wisdom when he spoke to the church at Colossi.

Colossians 1:9-10
Asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

(Chapter 11, verse 5) Righteousness and Faithfulness characterized His ministry (openly shown as a badge of His being [Ancient belts signified prominent aspects of one's life]). 

Next, Isaiah 11:6-9, shows how His kingdom will be different in nearly every aspect from that of man. Nature will change and the rules for living in a corrupted environment will be absent. Things will be re-established to their original intent.

Isaiah 11:10-11
'And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.'

"Stand as a banner to the people" is a loaded phrase. In the second chapter of the Song of Solomon, the Shulamite states, "His banner over me is love." A Banner of royalty flying above a castle indicated the King was in residence. Armies going out to battle displayed banners of identity. Notice verse twelve, "He shall set up a banner for the nations." Then jump to:

Isaiah 11:12
And will assemble the outcasts of Israel
, And gather together the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.

Return now to verse eleven.

Isaiah 11:11
11 It shall come to pass in that day 
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time 
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,

Isaiah 11:16
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people

Note three items: first, God is speaking fiatly in verse ten; whereas, Isaiah comments through the Spirit in verse eleven. Second, each time a different phase of God's intervention is focused upon, there are contingencies that accompany those transitions. Many things happen on those "that day" events. 

(The "recovery of the remnant" is in itself an interesting venture.) 

Isaiah said the Lord set His hand the second time. When was the first time? (Was it Moses' time? Was it Zerubbabel with Ezra from Babylon? Was it the earthly ministry of Jesus?) When then would be the second time? (Would it be the establishment of the nation Israel in 1948? Could it be a future time when Jesus rules on the earth?) Third, there will be a clear path for the remnant. 

Chapter 12: Rejoicing
          A continuation of "in that day" events culminates in a "praise celebration." Those rescued will say certain things. The rejoicing will be in two sections. The first segment is praise for what the Lord has done for them personally. ("Angry with me," "Comfort me," "my salvation," "I will trust and not be afraid," "YAH, the Lord is my strength and song," "He has become my salvation.") These are all personal in nature.

Isaiah 12:1-3
'O LORD, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.'

Then Isaiah interprets:

3 Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.

However, there is a "proclamation praise" which smacks of evangelism and the desire to witness to the world.

Isaiah 12:4-6
Praise the LORD, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted. 
5 Sing to the LORD,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth. 
6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!

Come On! Get ready to praise!