POST PUNISHMENT PRAISE

PROCLAMATION

“In that day you will say: ‘I will praise You, Lord.  Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away and You have comforted me.’”  Isaiah 12:1 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Chapter eleven of The Bible Book of Isaiah is a continuation of the prophecy which began in chapter seven.  Chapter eleven presents a prophetic view of the coming of The Messiah to establish His kingdom and it describes some aspects of the kingdom. (Isaiah 11:1-16)  The  prophecy in chapter twelve reveals the post tribulation period of singing, praise, and worship which will occur during the Kingdom Age. (Isaiah 12:1-6)   

APPLICATION

“In that day,” after we have had our spanking for messing up, we all will have been forgiven and all will be right with the world.  The remnant of believers who survived the Tribulation will be gathered from the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12) and join up with those of us who were caught up in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and the joyous time of singing and praising The Lord in the Kingdom Age will begin.  This is what we have in front of us to look forward to in the future.  We cannot even begin to imagine how great things will be when this happens. (1 Corinthians 2:9)  However, this will only be for those of us whose names are written in The Lamb’s Book of Life.  Whosoever is a non-believer will not have their name written in this book and they will spend eternity in hell. (Revelation 20:15)

THE REMNANT OF BELEIVERS

PROCLAMATION

“In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on The Lord, The Holy One of Israel.”  Isaiah 10:20 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the prophet Isaiah predicted the coming of The Messiah, he told them of The Lord’s wrath which would befall them. (Isaiah 9:8-21 and 10:1-19)  Then he told them that not all of them would be destroyed.  A remnant of the people of Israel would survive the Assyrian attack and captivity, and they would return to The Lord God Almighty. (Isaiah 10:20-22)  It does not matter what the Israelites had done, or gone through, or how many times they had turned away from Him, there was always a remnant that remained faithful to The Lord.  Isaiah also told them that after The Lord had punished Israel, He would destroy the Assyrians whom He had used to punish them. (Isaiah 10:23-34)

APPLICATION

Although today we frequently turn away from The Word of God and sin, as believers we will be punished but not utterly destroyed.  There will always remain that faithful few who will do right  and continue to worship The Lord God.  He punishes us, but His anger will soon end and then He will turn His wrath on those who oppressed and wronged us. (Psalm 30:5 and Isaiah 10:25)  We may be knocked down, but we will not be utterly destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:9)  He punishes us when we are wrong because He loves us. (Hebrews 12:6)  So, let us remember to thank Him and to praise His name for we are still here, and we have been spared from death and destruction. (Psalm 30:4, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 136:1, and 136:26)

THE COMING OF CHRIST IS PREDICTED

PROCLAMATION

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of The Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”  Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The prophet Isaiah predicts that Assyria will destroy Judah. (Isaiah 7:18-25)  He states that Judah will be taken into captivity by the king of Assyria, and that this will occur before his yet unborn son can speak. (Isaiah 8:1-4)  He goes on to describe the dark days which lie ahead for them, (Isaiah 8:5-22) but then states that the darkness will be turned into light and he predicts the coming of The Messiah. (Isaiah 9:1-7) 

APPLICATION

This passage is clearly a prediction of the coming of The Messiah.  There is some debate among Bible scholars whether or not it refers to the first or the second coming of Christ.  The first sentence seems to refer to the first coming with the reference to a child being born.  The second and third sentences, with references to an endless peace and His reign on David’s throne from that time on and forever, clearly refers to His second coming.  The first coming as already occurred and the second coming is probably closer to occurring than we realize.  We need to get ready now because it may be too late for us to get ready later.  When Christ comes the second time, every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will acknowledge that He is Lord over all people. (Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10)  He will be seen coming in the clouds and He will gather all believers to Himself. (Matthew 24:30-31)  Believe in The Lord, confess your sins, accept Him as your personal Savior, and you will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)  There will soon come a day when it will be too late for you to be saved. (Luke 13:25-27)

THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE CHRIST IS PROPHESIED

PROCLAMATION

“Therefore The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After King Uzziah died and his grandson Ahaz was king of Judah, Rezin the king of Aram (Syria) and Pekah the king of Israel joined forces and marched up together to fight against Judah and the people were afraid. (Isaiah 7:1-2)  Then The Lord spoke to Isaiah and told him to take his son with him and go speak to King Ahaz and tell him that they planned to invade Judah, but this will not happen. (Isaiah 7:3-7)  Ahaz was a wicked king who knew that The Lord God was The God of his people but his unbelief in and indifference to The Word of God caused Isaiah to tell him to ask for a sign from God to prove what he had told him was true. (Isaiah 7:10-11)  But Ahaz refused to ask for a sign and Isaiah told him that The Lord God was going to give them a sign.  Isaiah told them that Rezin and Pekah would not attack Judah but later the people of Judah would be taken into captivity by the king of Assyria. (Isaiah 7:20)

APPLICATION

This prophesy regarding the birth of Jesus, The Christ, by a virgin young woman was spoken by Isaiah some 600 to 700 years beforehand. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, and 11:1-4)  Many people did not believe it then and many people still do not believe it today.  The Bible documents that there were ten generations from Adam to Noah, (Genesis 5:1-32) and ten more generations from Noah to Abraham. (Genesis 11:10-26)  There were forty-two generations from Abraham to Jesus, including fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen additional generations from the exile to The Messiah, Jesus, The Christ. (Matthew 1:1-17)  While the lineage of  Jesus can be clearly documented, what is often questioned is the virgin conception and birth.  The Bible documents that Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin at the time of conception. (Matthew 1:18-23 and Luke 1:26-38)  Salvation requires belief in the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ. (Roman 10:9-10)

HERE I AM LORD SEND ME

PROCLAMATION

“Then I heard the voice of The Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’  And I said, ‘Here am I.  Send me.”  Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
In chapter three Isaiah predicts the judgement which will fall on Jerusalem and Judah because of their sins against The Lord. (Isaiah 3:1-26)  Chapter four presents the prophecy of Jesus, The Christ, in which He is described as “The Branch of The Lord.” (Isaiah 4:2-6)  Chapter five is a parable of a vineyard which is presented as a song that details the destruction of the Jews and their land. (Isaiah 5:1-30)  In chapter six Isaiah presents a vision which he had of The Lord in the year that King Uzziah died. (Isaiah 6:1-13)  In the vision he saw The Lord seated on His throne and he cried “Woe is me” because he had unclean lips, and an angel came to him and placed a piece of hot coal on his lips to atone for his sins. (Isaiah 6:5-7)  Then he heard the voice of The Lord as who could He sent to deliver His message to the people.  Isaiah answered Him and said, “Here am I.  Send me.”

APPLICATION
We do not have to be perfect in order to do the work of The Lord.  As long as we believe in Him and confess our sins, He can use us to deliver His word to His people.  We can be pardoned of our sins, but we still have to be willing to work for The Lord.  The Lord qualifies whomever He chooses.  Remember, He told Moses that I will help you speak and tell you what to say. (Exodus 4:10-12)  However, He does not force us, we must come to Him and obey His word of our own free will.  Whosoever will, let them come. (Revelation 22:17)  The question is, when The Lord God calls us, how will we answer Him?  Here I am, Lord, send me.

THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING

PROCLAMATION

“The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled) … People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of The Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.”  Isaiah 2:12-19 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
Here the prophet Isaiah presents the vision that he saw concerning the future of Jerusalem and Judah. (Isaiah 2:1)  This is a prophecy regarding the last days, the end of the world as we know it.  The chapter begins with the enlargement of God’s kingdom on earth by the calling of the gentiles as believers from all nations, and they will all come to the mountain of The Lord. (Isaiah 2:2-3)  Isaiah then briefly describes those who have fallen away from The Lord and become involved in the worship of idols. (Isaiah 2:6-9)  These are the people who will be trying to hide from the presence of The Lord on the day when He returns. (Isaiah 2:10-11)  They will be humbled and hiding.  This prophecy is repeated in the sixth chapter of The Bible Book of Revelation. (Revelation 6:15-16)

APPLICATION
The coming day of The Lord will be the time when God will take His vengeance upon all of the non-believing sinners.  The church, all of the believers, will have been removed from the world beforehand in the rapture.  He will deal with the proud (Isaiah 2:13), governments and societies (Isaiah 2:14), the world’s armies (Isaiah 2:15), businesses and commerce (Isaiah 2:16), the arrogant (Isaiah 2:17), and all false religions. (Isaiah 2:18)  The Lord God will deal with everything and everybody that is outside of the church when He comes.  Do not be like the people who were left outside of the ark in Noah’s day when the flood came. (Genesis 7:16-21)  Don’t be one of those who is left behind when the rapture occurs. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)  Believe in The Lord, confess your sins, accept Him as your personal Savior, and you will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10) There will come a day when it will be too late for you. (Luke 13:27)

A SINFUL NATION IN A TIME OF CRISIS

PROCLAMATION

“Wash and make yourselves clean.  Take your evil deeds out of My sight; stop doing wrong.  Learn to do right; seek justice.  Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow … Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow … If you are willing to be obedient …”  Isaiah 1:16-19 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz lived in a time of tension and crisis during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (Isaiah 1:1)  The brutal nation of Assyria to the north had already taken the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity.  The great nation of Babylon to the west would eventually take Judah into captivity.  The people of Judah had rebelled against The Lord God and He spoke to them, through the prophet Isaiah, offering them another chance if they would be obedient. (Isaiah 1:2-20)  The Lord God told Judah exactly how bad they had become and what would happen to them if they continued in their current sinful ways. (Isaiah 1:21-31)

APPLICATION

Today, we frequently talk about how bad the children of Israel were, but if the truth be told our country is not much better.  We are also dealing with catastrophic times and social upheaval.  Our leaders do not seem to care about the poor people.  We have rebelled against God and taken prayer and The Bible out of the schools.  There is corruption in all levels of government.  Most of the people are hardheaded or hard-hearted.  The torn down, riot burned areas of our inner cities are still in ruins decades later.  We have no morals, Sodom and Gomorrah had nothing on us by comparison.  Some of the things that go on in our churches in the name of religion has nothing to do with worshiping The Lord God.  Some of the sermons preached from the pulpits are not based on The Bible, and the people have developed itching ears. (2 Timothy 4:3)  We need to repent, to clean up our act, turn from our wicked ways, and seek The Lord God before He will hear our prayers and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  As sinful as we are, He is offering us another chance, if we are willing to be obedient. (Isaiah 1:18-19)