Bible Study: May 17, 2023

Okay, so we're going to be in Isaiah 33 tonight. As we begin, let me remind you of where we are in this series of chapters in Isaiah, where we have a chapter or a section that talks about the devastation that's going to come upon the earth because of the disobedience of the nations, because nations have turned away from God. It's always followed by God's salvation. So there's always the message of destruction that comes as a result of disobedience to God. There should always be the message of repentance that there that, individually and nationally, people need to respond to God. They need to repent to God, turn back to Him, and then the salvation always comes from God. It never comes from man's hands. It never comes because of man's wisdom. It always comes because of God. And so in these chapters right now, we are looking at the time that leads up to the time of the return of Jesus Christ. And as we're in chapter 33, we're going to see the same pattern. We're going to see it in chapter 34 and 35. And then after chapter 35, we get into a little bit of history going back to King Hezekiah. So tonight, we're going to see it. So let's begin here in chapter 33 and verse 1.

Here it begins with woe, and it's talking about—well, I'll read it. Woe to you who plunder, though you haven't been plundered, and you who deal treacherously, though they haven't dealt treacherously with you. So God is talking about nations, or even people, if you will, that don't follow the golden rule in essence. The golden rule is, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But here we have nations that are plundering others even though they haven't been plundered, dealing treacherously with another nation even though things have not been dealt treacherously with them. If we look at the world around us today, we have all sorts of personalities and leaders. We have reputations of the various nations that are out there. And we have the United States of America who is quite unique in history when you look at it. They've been very benevolent in their dealings with other nations. They have not been a colonizing nation when there's war.

After a war, the United States is always there to help rebuild. We send out all sorts of aid. We do all sorts of things like that. In a way, we're a trusting nation. We want to believe what people have to say. That has cost us us sometimes. And we know that in the future it's going to cost us big time. So when the Bible talks about those who plunder, when they haven't been plundered, we know what the history and what the future of America is because America has turned from God and continually turns further and further away from God. But it will be plundered in the Israel ite nations, even though they haven't been the ones plundering. We've read verses in the book of Isaiah about how our friends will not be there. The people that we think that are going to be friends won't be there when we need them. They will betray us. This verse is talking about this. God is talking about those nations who do those things. We have whoever Assyria is in the future, which has been historically an enemy of Israel. Babylon, you know, a history of or an enemy of Israel, woe to you who plunder, though you haven't been plundered, and you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you. So we kind of see what God is saying here. There is a time of reckoning for everyone. Now, let's keep your finger there in Isaiah 33. Let's go forward to the book of Habakkuk. The Minor Prophets comes right after Nahum and Micah.

And we see Habakkuk, if I remember correctly, Habakkuk is a contemporary of Isaiah.

And we see in verse 6 of Habakkuk 2, it says this. It says, will not all these take up a proverb against him and a taunting riddle against him who say, woe to him who increases, what is not his. How long? And to him who loathes himself with many pledges. Won't your creditors rise up suddenly? Won't they awaken who oppress you, and you will become their booty? So it's talking about nations, people who take advantage of other people. Because you have plundered many nations. All the remnant— oftentimes when we read remnant, right? We talk about the remnant of Israel. God says he will not allow Israel or Judah to be completely destroyed. There will be that remnant that's there. All the remnants of the people shall plunder you because of men's blood and the violence of the land and the city and of all who dwell in it. So we begin chapters 33. We see it's time for those who have been doing the plundering, who have brought punishment and tough times and tribulation upon Israel for their time to come to reap the consequences of their actions. And I've got a note in my Bible here too. Isaiah 37.

Isaiah 37—let me see what verse 38 says here. Oh yeah, Isaiah 37 verse 38 goes back to the time of ancient Assyria when they were tormenting Judah and they finally conquered Israel. And you'll remember 185,000—I think we talked about that last time we were on the Bible study—185,000 God caused Assyria to flee, 185,000 were killed, and then the leader of Assyria was killed by his own sons, if I remember correctly. So this is what happens. So we see the time that we're in, a time that God is about to turn the tables, and Israel, his people, will be delivered from what they've been enslaved in as a result of their actions is what has come upon them because of what they've determined. And so it says in verse 2, it's the people praying to God, O Lord, be gracious to us. We've waited for you. You know, it's a beautiful sentiment. We've waited for you. We knew you would deliver us. The people are now turning to God. They're not resisting him like they had been before. They're not rebelling against him. They're not being stubborn and denying that he's even as part of any of these things that are happening upon them. O Lord, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be their arm every morning. And this is—those of you who have a King James Bible, I think it says, be you their arm every morning. And what it means is you be our strength. All the might, all the weaponry, all the wealth, all the great things that we thought we had that wasn't able to defend us. There was nothing that we could do. You brought upon us. The only deliverance is from God, is what it's saying here. When we see that word arm in that context, it means the strength of God. So again, let's go back and see one other place in the Bible references that. If we go back to Job, Job 40 and verse 9.

As we've gone through the book of Isaiah, you've seen us go back to the book of Job a few times to reference some things that are here in the book that help us understand what God is saying. In Job 40 and verse 9, I think it's Job. Yeah, God answered Job and asks him, do you have an arm? Do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like his?

So you can see God is saying, got an arm like mine? It's my strength. You don't have the strength like I have, Job. It's the same arm that's being referenced here in Isaiah 33.

As they pray, Lord, be gracious to us. We've waited for you. We knew you would deliver us.

Be you their arm or be our arm, as some of the newer translations say. Be our arm every morning. You be our strength. You be our salvation also in the time of trouble. So you can see this repentance and this reliance and this humility that people have as they realize it's only God who can deliver us. He is the one who will bring salvation. All our hope is in him.

Verse 3, at the noise of the tumult, the people shall flee.

When God returns, you'll remember back in Exodus 20 when the people were assembled at the base of Mount Sinai, there was thunderings, there was lightnings, there was noise. It talks about God's voice being like thunders. At the noise, the people would tremble when they feel his power. At the noise of the tumult, the people will flee. When you lift yourself up, the nations will be scattered, and your plunder shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar as the running to and fro of locusts. He shall run upon them. So it says when God gets involved, then the plundering of the nations, those nations that have been the oppressors, if you will, it's going to be complete. It'll be like the gathering of the caterpillar. Those of you who are scientists, caterpillars, when they're young, they devour everything in their sight. They see caterpillars on your leaves. They're just going to keep eating and eating and eating, and then they transform into butterflies. You got the locusts, well known for devouring everything in sight. They said God will be like that when he plunders those nations who plunder others. As we read in verse 1, that's what it's going to be like. Again, the Bible interprets itself. Let's go back to Exodus 20, because probably when you read that word locust in the Bible, you think back to one of the plagues that came upon Egypt. Egypt plundered ancient Israel, and there came a time when God was going to deliver them that God told Israel, you plunder Egypt, and then I'll take you out of here. So it's in Exodus 10. Exodus 10 and verse 12. Let's see what the locusts do and remind ourselves what this what this plague of locusts was like. Exodus 10 and verse 12. The Eternal said to Moses, stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts. They may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every herb of the land, all that the hail has left. So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Eternal brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night, when it was morning the east wind on the locusts, and the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe. Previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them, for they covered the face of the whole earth so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt. And so we read what these locusts can do. And God, when you know we read in the Bible here, God compares, I will plunder those nations like the locusts. He will run upon them. We can see when God gets involved, you know, how the oppressors will be handled. So, okay, verse um, on the right screen here, yeah, so in verse five then, they're praising God. The eternal is exalted, for he dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times. So we have, you know, coming out of the oppression, those who plundered, now being plundered, those who drought treacherously, now they are reaping their consequences, now God is in charge. What happens in verse five? He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times. If wisdom and knowledge are the stability of those times, wisdom and knowledge are the stability for us in these times as well, for God's people.

You know, the wisdom of the world, the wisdom of the world, we know because we live in it, but it's the wisdom of God that provides us the stability for us. It's the knowledge of God, and using that knowledge that provides us the stability, that we have faith in Him that we know and we believe the promises that are in these prophecies and these Bibles that we know He will deliver. Now we can be patient, and we can wait through the hard times, the difficult times, the trials, the tribulations, because we know and absolutely believe Him. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of the times. When Peter talks and the conclusion of 1 Peter, he talks about growing the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, that you may be established, that you may be settled, that you may rely on God. And that's what you and I are learning now. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times and the strength of salvation. The fear of the Lord is His treasure. Fear of the Eternal is His treasure. It's a tremendous blessing that God gives us. I'm going to turn back to Proverbs here. I'm going to turn you back to Proverbs 1, and we'll look at Proverbs 9 as well. But I'll remind you that even in Isaiah 9, when we were talking about the Savior to come, the Messiah to come, it talks about the Spirit, and it talked about that Spirit put the fear of the Lord in Him. The fear of the Lord is part of what we must have if we're going to obey God. Again, if we go back to Exodus 20, we're not going to turn there because I know you know the Scripture there well. When Israel was standing at the base of Mount Sinai, and they heard the noise of the thunder, they told Moses, don't let God speak to us. He's too powerful. You speak to us, Moses. Remember what Moses said? He said these things are there, that the fear of the Lord may be in you, that you may not sin. The fear of the Lord is a valuable, valuable gift and blessing, and nothing we should ever take for granted and ask God to give us the proper fear of Him. Let's do a look at Proverbs 1. Proverbs 1, verse 7, because it talks about wisdom and knowledge there, that those will be the stability of your times. That will be the things that see you through. Those will be the things that mark the kingdom. In Proverbs 1, verse 7, it says, the fear of the Lord, this thing that we just read about in verse 6, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. And then in Proverbs 9, Proverbs 9, and verse 10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. How can we have the wisdom of God? Well, we asked for it, we're told in the book of James, but we have to have the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and the knowledge of the Holy One here says is understanding.

Verse 6 is a very notable verse, if you will. Fear of God, we must have that and use and ask God and develop the wisdom and knowledge. When Paul says, growing grace and knowledge and the wisdom of God, that will be the stability of our times. Those will be the things of the trust in God that keep us stable and established through rough, rough times as we wait for God and wait for Jesus Christ for God to send Jesus Christ to this earth. Okay, verse 7. So those are kind of millennial verses there. That's looking forward to Christ's return. When we get into verse 7, even as if the translators know we've changed thoughts here a little bit, because you see a little, at least in my Bible, there's a little bit of space, extra space between 6 and 7. We're harkening back to the time of trouble that comes before the return of Jesus Christ, and when he is praised and exalted. So in verse 7, we're referring back to pre-millennial time. Verse 7, surely their valiant ones shall cry outside. All the mighty warriors of the nations that are aligned against God, their valiant ones shall cry outside. The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. Everything they try doesn't work. The world is falling apart, falling into waste and destruction, as we see in verse 8. The highways lay waste. The traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant. He has despised the cities. He regards no man. So we see just this life as we know it today just kind of stops. The traveling man, even the even the travel around the world, isn't there. You know, at the time of the end, in Daniel 12, it talks about knowledge will be increased and they will run to and fro. But here we see the highways lay waste. They're not they're not active anymore. The traveling man ceases. He, that's God, he has broken the covenant. He has despised the cities. He regards no man. So we see this waste that's on the earth, this devastation that's coming. And again, let's go back to Isaiah 6 because that's one of the foundational parts of Isaiah as we were in those early chapters. When God was calling Isaiah to serve him and go around and tell of what was going to happen, we read in verse 11, Isaiah is being called. God says, who's going to go out and say this? I remember Isaiah says, I'll do it. I'll do it. I'll go. And verse 11, Isaiah said, Lord, how long? And God answered until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant. The houses are without a man and the land is utterly desolate. So until the time of the end, when the earth just is completely no hope left in anything and anything that anyone trusts in the world, it's only in God that people can look at and count on. And that's the same picture we're looking at here in Isaiah 33.

The valiant ones, the ambassador piece, all their diplomacy, all the things that they do, none of it was working. The whole world is just lying there without hope until Christ returns. The same picture that we have in Revelation, the same picture that we have in Matthew 24, you have the devastation because of man's behavior and conduct, and the only hope is from God. Verse 9 here in Isaiah 33, the earth mourns and languishes. I mean, God kind of uses this alliteration as the earth is a living thing, it is a living thing, but the earth mourns and languishes. Remind you of Romans 8, where it says, the whole world, the whole earth groans, just waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, so they can become what God had created it to be again. The earth mourns, it languishes, Lebanon is shamed and shriveled, Sharon is like a wilderness, and Bation and Carmel shake off their fruits. Nothing is the way it was. They have lost all the blessings that God had sent upon them.

So in that, in the midst of all that trouble, all that waste, all that hopelessness, if you will, of man relying on himself, we see in verse 10 the word, now. Now I will rise, says the eternal.

Now I will rise. Now I will be exalted. Now I will lift myself up. You can see, here's salvation. Everyone will know how many times this guy's saying, then they will know that I am the Lord. Now, now I will rise up. Now I will lift myself up. Verse 11, you, that's mankind, you'll conceive chap. You'll think you're planting grain that's going to result in a very good crop, but really what it's going to result in is just chap. Worthless, if you will. You will bring forth stubble. Another worthless, another worthless grain or worthless plant. Your breath, what you do, what you say as fire, shall devour you. Everything you do is not going to allow, is not going to promote anything good. Everything you do is useless. We learn the same things. If there's any good in us, it comes from God. It comes from His Holy Spirit as we learn to yield to Him all our minds and bodies that allow Him to work through us. Now, if you've heard me say before, that's where joy comes from. That's where peace comes from. That's where the closeness to God comes from. The more we yield to Him, the more we appreciate life and have the zeal to do His will.

The people shall be like the burnings of lime. They're just constantly being devoured. Like thorns, cut up, they will be burned in the fire. A couple of Bible studies ago, we talked about the lake of fire and tofeth and all that. Like thorns cut up, they will be burned in the fire. Then He says in verse 13, hear, hear you who are afar off what I have done, and you who are near acknowledge my might. It's interesting in verse 13 because He says, you who are afar off, listen to you who are afar off what I've done. See what my hand has wrought.

Sometimes when we read that, that you who are afar off, it's God. Remember that Israel, it says in Isaiah, says in Ezekiel, they're going to be taken captive. They're going to be taken away from their land. They're going to be, later on when we get into Isaiah, we're going to talk about the coastlands and the people afar off and this and that and everything. I won't get into that tonight, but when we read about far off, God says, I'm going to bring all of Israel. I'm going to be back to their promised land. I'm going to gather them from the four corners of the earth and bring them back to the land that I gave them. So you who are far off, you who have waited for me, you who should have known, I haven't forgotten my people. I haven't forgotten the people of the physical Israel. I haven't forgotten you. You who are afar off, see what I've done. If you're near, acknowledge it was me. It was me, God, who did this. It was not mankind. It was no group of men. It was God and only God who did this. So let's look at a few verses here about this far off.

Let's look at Isaiah 49 because later on in the book we do talk about that, I'd say, but let's look at one of them. We won't be in Isaiah 49 for a few weeks yet. Verse 49, and we'll look at verses 1 through 5. It talks about God bringing them back here.

Listen, listen, O coastlands, to me, and take heed, you peoples, from afar. The Lord has called me from the womb, from the matrix of my mother, he has made mention of my name, and it has made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand he has hidden me, and has made me a polished shaft. In his quiver he has hidden me. And he said to me, You are my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. And I said, I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength in nothing and in vain, yet surely my just reward is with the Lord and my work with my God. You know, everything Israel did when they were trying to do their own accord came to nothing. It's when we work with God and allowed him to work through us. And now the Lord says, verse 5, who formed me from the womb to be a servant, to bring Jacob back to him, so that Israel is gathered to him, for I, God says, will be glorious, or offshore I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. So we see this gathering the people from afar. We see the same thing. We've got a couple other verses written down here. Jeremiah 31 talks about the time of God gathering people back. Jeremiah 31, verse 10 says, Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the aisles far off, and say, He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock, for the eternal has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. Listen, you isles afar off, where the people have been scattered. It's God, it's God who will redeem and recover us. Jeremiah 40, Jeremiah 46. 46, 27.

Jeremiah 46, 27. Don't fear, O my servant Jacob, and don't be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest, and be at ease, and no one will make him afraid. And then Jeremiah 51 as well.

You could do a search and, you know, put in the word afar or far off into Bible Gateway or something like that. You can read all the verses that talk about afar off. They're not all about Israel. You have to look through the verses and see that, but you see many of them here that talk about afar off. Jeremiah 51 and verse 50. 51-50. Yeah, 51-50. You who have escaped the sword, get away. Don't stand still. Remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come to your mind. Let Jerusalem come to your mind. When you're there, remember God, and let Jerusalem come from your mind. And we're going to see Jerusalem, Zion, enter into this Isaiah 33 here very quickly. So when we read these words afar off, it should conjure up for us. God is speaking to his people. He's making people aware of what is going to happen, and they have been scattered. So if we go back to Isaiah 33, with all that in mind, and, you know, God, I'm going to deliver. Now I will rise, God says in verse 10.

He'll hear you who are afar off, verse 13, and you who are near acknowledge my might, acknowledge that it is God who did it. That can be tough for mankind to actually yield to God, right? Because we have this natural resistance to God that it talks about in Romans 8-7. So people have to be brought to their knees. Peace and all good things come when we yield to God and stop resisting Him. So in verse 14, up by Isaiah 33, we see Jerusalem, Zion, showing up. The sinners in Zion are afraid.

Now why would the sinners in Zion be afraid? I mean, look what God has done. Look at the punishment he has brought against those who have resisted him, who have been stubborn against him, who have sinned against him, who have turned from him in all these ways. The sinners in Zion are afraid. They're seeing the consequences of that behavior. Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites.

Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites. So we look at ourselves, whoa, have we been hypocrites? Have we been sinners? Is that just punishment? If I can use that word from God that we deserve, is that going to come upon us? Now hypocrites, it's interesting God puts us there because Jesus uses this word here because again, you look at that. We have sinners, of course. Sin separates us from God. We read that. We were going to read that later on in Isaiah, later on in the book.

Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites. Now hypocrites are—you know what hypocrites are. They pretend one way in front of you, but really in their heart there's someone else. Christ has quite a bit to say about hypocrites. So let's pause and look at the New Testament and some of Christ's words there about hypocrites. We binded in Matthew 15, one of the situations here.

He actually quotes from Isaiah here when he's chiding the hypocrites.

In Isaiah—or not Isaiah— Matthew 15, it's talking about people that they don't honor their mother and father. They're honoring what the Sanhedrin wants instead. In verse 6, God says, you've made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. In verse 7 of 15, Christ says, hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you saying, these people draw near to me with their mouth, they say all the right things, their words sound good, these people draw near to me with their mouth, they honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. The guy doesn't look at just the words we say. We as humans can get fooled by words, but God looks at the heart. They honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain they worship me, teaching his doctrines the commandments of men. They kind of take their own things and what the Sanhedrin did and what the Jews back then did. They took the word of God and they fooled themselves into thinking they were obeying God, but they're really obeying what their will is. They had put the little twist on it to do things their way, and God warns us, don't do that. Obey God exactly as he says to be. Obey. Don't put your twist on something and have your little pet idea of how that commandment should be, and then all of a sudden find out you're obeying something that you devised rather than the purity of the word.

We can turn to Matthew 23, the whole chapter there. Christ is just deriding the Jews. He calls them hypocrites over and over and over and over. In verse 28, in Matthew 23, he said, you also appear outwardly, even so you also appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Lawlessness. These are people who thought they were worshiping God, but inwardly they had all this other stuff going on inside. God says they're lawless.

Finally, in Luke 12, he talks about the 11th of Herod. It was just five weeks ago or so, we were the days of Unleavened Bread, and we were talking about putting the 11 out of our lives. Luke 12, Christ uses that 11 and describes what part of it is. It says in verse 1, in the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, Christ began to say to his disciples first, beware of the 11 of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. God doesn't have anything good to say hypocrisy. He wants us to speak out of the abundance of our heart, but he wants that heart to be pure. We always have our heart that has to be yielded to God, not just the words we say, not just the outward actions, but what's in here? What's in here? What have we yielded?

That's where the true yielding and conversion comes from, as well. We yield our hearts and minds to God. If we go back to Isaiah 33, with that in mind, and seeing where Christ even is quoting from this book of Isaiah, he's validating what's written in the book of Isaiah through his words, as does the rest of the New Testament. The sinners in Zion are afraid. Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites. They know that time has changed. Now there has to be worshiping God in spirit and truth, and he desires truth in the inward part. Who among us, he says, shall dwell with the devouring fire?

Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? A couple of weeks ago, we talked about toha and the gahana fire. That fire may be, as it says in our Bible, our Ucg Bible commentary, may be burning the entire time of that millennium. The beast and the prophet, false prophet, are thrown into it. In ancient times, there was that gahana fire where it says even corpses were thrown into it, of people who were criminals and whatever. Maybe there, who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Also a reference to the lake of fire, right? We do not want to be thrown in the lake of fire. Sinners, unrepentant, who who who hardened their hearts against God, they're in the lake of fire. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? I have written in my Bible here, Hebrews 12, 28, and verse 29. I think you know what that verse says. It says, our God is a consuming fire. Our God is a consuming fire. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting with everlasting burnings? Those things that just continually burn like the gahana fire. Who will dwell with them? Who will not be thrown into it? Verse 15 gives us a picture of the righteous, and it will remind you of a couple of Psalms. Verse 15, who will dwell with everlasting burnings? Who will live among that and not be cast into the fire? He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly. He who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing a bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil. Those who do God's will. We would be remiss if we didn't go back to those two Psalms and read them, because they're the picture of the righteous men who shall dwell in your holy hill. Let's go back to Psalm 24. Psalm 24. Psalm 24 and verse 3.

Who may ascend into the hill of the eternal? Or who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who hasn't lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.

He shall receive blessing from the eternal and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek God, who seek his face.

There's a picture of the people, clean hand, pure heart, hasn't bowed down to idols, all the idols, all the little gods in life, thrown away as trash, relying only on God.

And Psalm 15. Psalm 15 has the first sentiment, the same sentiment here. Psalm 15.

David, a man after God's own heart, writes in verse 1, Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle? Who may dwell in your holy hill? He who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart. He who doesn't backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor. That is chapter 3. He does not backbite with his tongue. I always go back to when I worked in the world and supervised people and whatever.

I've said this several times, but every time I read that, it makes me think, there are some people you could have to correct, call them in, and blah, blah, blah. Some would say, yeah, I get it, I'll do better, and whatever. And you're always thankful for that. And there are always others who have backbite, always a retort, always an excuse, always blaming someone else. I thought, we know you did it, just quit fighting it, just do what you need to do. We can't be those type people. He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend. I mean, all those things that that that carnal nature does, in whose eyes a vile person is despised. But he honors those who fear the Lord. He who swears to his own hurt and doesn't change. Now, that means if you, you know, you you tell someone, I think the best example I ever heard of this, is you tell someone you're going to sell them something for a hundred bucks, right? They come here, and then someone tells you, oh, you know what, that thing is worth 500 bucks. Well, you know what, you still honor what you said. You said you would sell it someone else. You still, you said that you would sell it for a hundred bucks. You don't make an excuse and try to get out of it. You just, you know, that's what it talks about. Swear to his own hurt. He who does not, he who swears to his own hurt and doesn't change. I'll follow what I say. I said I would do it, just just do it. Now that may be a very weak explanation. There's a whole list of things you could put in there about swearing to our own hurt and does not change. That we don't change just because to make our convenience better. He who does not put out his money at usury, and he doesn't take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved, God says.

So that's the same. Isaiah is, you know, the same sentiment God has inspired Isaiah to write here in verse 15 of Isaiah 33, talking about the people who will be in the millennium. These are the people who won't be in the lake of fire, who won't fear that fire that's burning there. He, come back in Isaiah 13 verse 16, these people who fit that definition that we've read here in verse 15 and in Psalm 24 and Psalm 15 and in the Bible, right? He will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. Red will be given him. His water will be sure. Who is he trusting in?

He's trusting in God. Psalm 46 says, God is our refuge. He is our strength. That's there. They are trusting him, and even when it looks like there's no food anywhere, bread will be given him.

Just like God sent that raven with bread to Elijah, his water will be sure. Just like God brought water from Iraq for Israel, he will provide all our needs. We don't have to worry about it because we know that he supersedes anything, anything of the physical. Everything is possible with him.

Verse 17 then is a very triumphant and a very, a very uplifting verse. Your eyes, your eyes, people who are defined here in verses 15 and 16, your eyes will see the king in his beauty.

It's a beautiful thought, isn't it? Seeing God, seeing Christ descend to take his throne, to take command of this earth, to bring upon the earth the peace, the joy, the harmony, the abundance, everything, everything good that's going to come as the worst is completely restored to what God had created it to be. Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see the land that is very far off. They'll live it. They'll see it. They'll be part of it. Your heart will meditate on terror, verse 18. And what that means is not that it's going to be afraid of terror. It'll be thinking back to all the terror that was there before because the Bible talks about a time of terror. You read through Deuteronomy 28's terror on the earth. We'll meditate on terror. Look where we were. Look what man brought upon us, he's saying. And so the questions come. Well, where is the scribe? Where is the scribe who was judging us accountable for something? Where is the scribe who was saying, you didn't do this, you didn't do that? Where is he who weighs with the unjust weight? Where is he who counts the towers? Remember towers we talked about a couple weeks ago as well, who rely on these the world's goods, the world's strengths. Where are all these people that did all these and who held us accountable for things based on that government? What happened to them? They all disappeared. They all disappeared. Now it's God. Now it's God. It's his way of life. Now the righteous judge is here. Now we will see the king and his beauty. You will not see, he says in verse 15, you won't see a fierce people. We can turn back to Joel. It talks about the armies that will be assembling. It says they are fierce. They are fierce in their look. They're a fierce people. They're cruel. We should turn to Habakkuk again since we were in Habakkuk earlier tonight. Let's go back here. Habakkuk, you'll remember where it is right after Nahum and Micah and Jonah.

Habakkuk 1 and verse 8.

Now I'm going to pick it up in verse 5 because these are verses for the end time as well. Habakkuk 1 verse 5, look among the nations and watch. Be utterly astounded, for I will work a work in your days which you would not believe though what were told you, for indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans. Chaldeans is another word for Babylon. These are the enemies of Israel. I indeed am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead. Their cavalry comes from afar. They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. They're fierce. They're fierce. They're swift. They march swiftly and they take what isn't theirs. They show no mercy.

And so God says, you won't see a fierce people. Not when Christ is king. They're gone. He has displaced those. He has taken those nations that plundered others when they haven't been plundered and who were dealt treacherously with nations who were not dealing treacherously with them. They will be replaced, those who have been fierce upon the earth like the Assyrians and Babylonians of old. You won't see a fierce people. You won't see—I'm back in Isaiah 33 in verse 19—you won't see a fierce people. You won't see a people of obscure speech beyond perception. You won't understand their language when they come in. That means you're not going to hear these conquerors are speaking something you can't even hear what understand what they're saying. You want to understand their speech, their perception. These people have a stammering tongue that we would say is unintelligible, a foreign language, a stammering tongue that you cannot understand. But in verse 20, we have, looking at Jerusalem, the city of peace, the city that God loves. Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. Remember Jeremiah 51 verse 50? It said, you know, all you islands from afar off? When these things happen, think of Jerusalem. Think of Jerusalem. That's where God, that's where Christ will be. Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. At the beginning of Isaiah chapter 2, something we read at the Feast of Tabernacles every year, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, up to Zion. Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down. Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, nor will any of its cords be broken.

That's not Jerusalem today. That's not Jerusalem that has been in the past. It's always been a place of war, a place of conflict. But not when Christ is there. It will be the city of peace that he always intended it to be. Let's go back to Psalm 87. We're going to look at Psalm 122. I'm thinking about Psalm 122 as I turn to Psalm 187. It talks about praying for the peace of Jerusalem and why we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. But in Psalm 87, it talks about how God loves Jerusalem. That's where the capital of the world will be. That's where the temple will be. That's where the seat of the nations will be. That's where Christ the law will go forth from Jerusalem. Psalm 87 verse 1, his foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. More than Cincinnati, more than Pasadena, more than Big Sandy. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Llorious things are spoken of you, O City of God. God loves Jerusalem. And in Psalm 122, not that he doesn't love what's going on. We hope in Cincinnati today and in the places, all the cities where his work is being done and his people live. Psalm 122, Psalm 122 verse 1, I was glad when they said to me, let's go into the house of the Lord. Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact, that's knitted together, where the tribes go up. The tribes of the Lord to the testimony of Israel to give thanks to the name of the eternal. Where thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem because when we do that, we're praying for Christ's return. That's when peace will come. That's when peace will come to Israel and that peace will last forever. He is the Prince of Peace. He will bring peace to the earth, a lasting peace.

Let's see what else I've got here. Let's turn to Zechariah 2. Always good to remind ourselves, when Christ establishes his government, when he comes to earth, through Jerusalem, which is a a hat bed of turmoil in the world today, will be a completely different peace. Zechariah 8.

Zechariah, of course, second to the last book of the Old Testament. Zechariah 8 verse 3, and thus says the eternal, I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called the city of truth, not what it is today. I'm trying to adjust my light here. It's driving me crazy a little bit. Okay. Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. City of truth. Jeremiah 33, I think, calls it the city of peace. Look at Jeremiah 33.

And verse 6. Yeah, we'll talk about Jerusalem. Verse 6, Behold, I will bring in health and healing. I will heal them and re-ovel to them the abundance of peace and truth when Christ returns. And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return and will rebuild those places as at the first. So when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, when we look at Christ's return and we see the symbol of what Jerusalem is—because all the world will be at peace, it's not just Jerusalem—but that will be the symbol because that's where the law will go forth. That's where Christ will establish—we don't have a capital of the world today, but we have capitals of nations. That's where everyone will look. That's where the law will go forth. They will know what the truth is. It will be taught all over the world.

Okay, let's—I hope I'm not missing any hands here. So let's go back to Isaiah 33.

We read verse 20. God says, not one of its stakes are going to be removed, not any of its cords will be broken. Verse 21, but there the majestic eternal will be for us. What will he be for us? A place of broad rivers and streams, living water, right? Everything, everything good. Jesus Christ said, come to me, I will give you waters, the waters of eternal life, who, wherever drinks of these waters, will never burst again. There the majestic Lord will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams in which no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by.

Now keep that in mind, you know, when we get down to verse 23, because what that's talking about there is these waters that are there, but we don't have any ships that are there that are out there looking to see how they can gain advantage in any way. Now verse 22 is an interesting verse. Many, many, many people will say, and you can see it, that our founding fathers in America use that verse to establish the form of government that we have today.

We have the executive branch, we have the judicial branch, we have the legislative branch, and they say this, verse 22, is where that concept came from. For the Lord is our judge, judicial branch, the Lord is our lawgiver, legislative branch, the Lord is our king, the executive branch. So it seems, and he, and of course this is the target of God, he will save us, but it sure appears that our founding fathers, they were putting together our form of government, the Constitution, and everything, that's the verse they used to come up with the three systems of government we have, maybe the three branches of government.

That's an interesting thing when you look back at it and see, and there's other places you can see in the Bible where they pulled out of the Bible as well when they were forming the government of this land. In verse 23, then, it goes back to the thought that's there. Notice that verse 22 is in parentheses, so we interrupted the thought there. So if we look at verse 21, there's no ship, there's no galley with oars, there's no people out there on the, you know, that you think, okay, what are they up to?

Your tackle is loosed, they couldn't strengthen their mass, they could not spread the sail, meaning that there isn't going to be any kind of stuff that's going on in the waters there. You don't have to worry about ships coming in, you don't have to have your fortresses out there to guard again, ships coming up in the night and invading the land through that.

That's not going to happen. God is watching over everything, and there is no danger coming in from the seas or from the water there because God is watching over that. You don't have to watch at it, and even if there was, you know, your tackle is loosed, not going to work, they can't strengthen their mass, they couldn't spread the sail.

There's nothing that can be done. God will see that everything is at peace. Then the prey of great plunder is divided, the lame will take the prey. You know, that kind of reminds you of Israel leaving Egypt back in Exodus. The prey of great plunder is divided, the lame will take the prey. And Israel, as they were leaving Egypt, you know, God said plunder the Egyptians and then flee.

The lame, the weak, the oppressed, when God delivered them, they plundered Egypt, and then they left. They left Egypt with a high hand. And the inhabitant, verse 24 says, the inhabitant will not say, the inhabitant to this land will not say, I am sick, and the people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity. You know, there won't be, you know, you can look at that verse a few different ways. I think what it's saying, though, is in that land, the inhabitant, you know, sickness will not be part of that land anymore.

The inhabitant will not say, I'm sick, because in God's millennia, when people are following his physical and spiritual laws and everything, sickness will be a thing of the past, you know, and the people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.

God does forgive our sins, right? I think it harkens back, because we see sickness and iniquity combined in that one verse in 24. And it may remind us of Psalm 103, when we're looking at the benefits of God's way of life. He combines those two elements into one verse in Psalm 103 as well. In Psalm 103, in verse 2, it says, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forgetting not all his benefits.

The very first two that he lists are, Who forgives all your iniquities, right? Who forgives all your iniquities? Who heals all your diseases, and then redeems your life from destruction, etc. Forgives our iniquities, heals our sicknesses. When Christ was on earth, as the forerunner of the kingdom, he healed everyone's disease.

You can also mark down James 5 verse 15. It combines the prayer of faith and healing and forgiveness of sins in one verse in James 5 15 as well. So, yes, Becky. It immediately made me think of Revelation 22 and the river in the city. The 12th, I don't know if you want me to go there, down the middle of the great street on each side stood the tree of life bearing 12 crops, and the leaves are for the healing of nations. No longer will there be any curse. So, to me, the curse made me think of what you were saying about the sins being forgiven. Yeah, very good. Very good. That verse as well. It's excellent. Forgiveness of sins.

Healing. Healing of all our illnesses, right? Not just our physical, certainly spiritual healing, as well as emotional healing, mental healing. All the things that plague us.

Yeah, and even 21 for you know where he talks about the tears being wiped away, no more morning, crying or pain. The old order passing away in Revelation. Sorry, 21. Yep. Yeah.

Okay, I think let's just stop there. I think next week we're going to, we will try. Chapter 34 is, chapter 34 talks about the destruction. Again, we're in the destruction, and then chapter 35 is the millennial verses that we're very familiar with. We will try to get through 34 and 35 next week. And if we don't, we don't. We certainly have time to do that. But then we'll move into 36, and I think we may have, we may do a little refresher quiz or whatever over the last 12 chapters when we get through chapter 35, just to summarize this section of Isaiah. So any questions? Yeah, Dave. Yes, in verse 17, when you read, your eyes will see the king and his beauty. They will see the land that is very far off. That made me immediately think of Hebrews 11, where it talks about those heroes of faith in the faith chapter, where it says they didn't hear the promises, but they saw it far off. That shows the mindset there that we have to keep focusing on the kingdom of God, and as it says in Hebrews 11, that we are strangers in a strange land. And so I just see how those verses go together really, really well. Absolutely. That's very good. Those little phrases that are there that draw us from one place of the Bible to another, it all fits together. So very good. Okay, anything else, anyone?

Yes. Yeah, Raymond, you got something? Yes, can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you. Okay, good.

It's been several weeks since I've been able to talk because my phone messes up. It's not on your end. Okay, anyway, I was thinking about usury, and I thought, you know, one of the reasons there are several why God is against that is because it causes destabilization of currencies, and it causes inflation and greed and things like that. You know, so it's like a never-ending process. I see what you're saying, but yeah, that would be. I mean, inflation certainly is the scourge of mankind, brought about by not following God's laws exactly. And also about the ores and the water and all that. It's going to be peaceful. There'll be no more need of something like a coast guard.

Very good. No more coast guard. You're right. Don't have to defend the waters. There are going to be nothing but peace as we look at them. Okay. Okay. Anything else, anyone?

Is our friend Xavier on tonight? I haven't seen Xavier.

He must not be here tonight, so he must be out of town or something. So if you're there, Xavier, hi. Everyone else, hi, too. Very good to see all of you tonight. We will look forward to, you know, the rest of the week. You guys have a good rest of the week. We will look forward to seeing all of you next Wednesday. Same time, same place. Okay. Okay. Hi, brother Shibi. We're here. We're here. Oh, you're here. Hi. Okay. Good to know you're with us, Xavier.

Okay, very good. Hi, Jim. Got a John's iPhone before we leave.

John, did you want to say something? Okay. Maybe not.

Okay, John, going once, going twice, going three times. Good night.

Good night, everyone. Good night, everyone. Good night. Good night.

Hi.