Isaiah 44 and 45

And good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight's Bible study. We are beginning in Isaiah 44. So, we're starting on the 44th. And here we see once again the beautiful poetry in which much of the book of Isaiah is written in. We have a lot of parallelism in the book of Isaiah. So, Isaiah 44 and verse 1. Now, here, Old Jacob asks Israel whom I have chosen. So, you see the parallelism there. Oftentimes, Jacob is used for all 12 tribes. And, of course, Israel is oftentimes used for all 12 tribes. Thus says the Yahweh, the Eternal, that made you in the form of the One. So, God and Christ had a plan worked out in eternity before anything was created. And Jacob or Israel was chosen even before time began, according to this. And, of course, we know the plan of salvation had been planned out before time began. We read that in 2 Timothy chapter 2. I know I'm sorry, 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9. We're not turning there, but the plan of salvation is ancient Jesus Christ slain from the foundation of the world. So, Thus says the Lord that made you and formed you from the womb, which will help you fear not, O Jacob, my servant, and you, Jezoram. Jezoram is a term that is, it is a colloquial term to some degree. It's a loving, caring kind of term that is used for the nation of Israel, whom I have chosen. So once again, we see here that God has chosen Israel. It is the apple of his eye along with the Church of God and the Israel of God. And so, he is going to make sure that his word is fulfilled and that Israel is able to do the things that are prophesied of it. Verse 3, For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty. Now, once again, I remind us of duality and prophecy. To some degree, Isaiah is addressing duality, but it more has a millennial flavor to it than it does a physical flavor. That is, we know that the Babylonians conquered Judah and took them into captivity, and they were there for 70 years or so before God called Cyrus to let them go back and build a temple and restore Jerusalem. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon your seed. Your seed, of course, means children, which is noted in the next phrase, and my blessing upon your offspring, seeding offspring being parallelisms. And they shall spring up as among the grass as willows by the water courses. And your fine willow trees oftentimes on river banks and lakes, and they just spring up. The seed is blown there, and the moist, wet ground tends to germinate willow trees. And just as willow trees are germinated, God is going to bless the seed of Israel. In Isaiah 44 verse 5, one shall say, one shall say, if I and the Lord shall call himself by the name of Jacob. So people are going to be glad to admit that they are of Judah, that they are of Israel at that time, not like it is today, in which it seems that the whole world has turned its back on Israel and Jacob, except for the United States and a few other nations as well. And many in the United States have also become anti-Semitic. And another shall subscribe with his hand, and that means subscribe means he will write unto the eternal and surname himself by the name of Israel.

Now there's quite a bit of controversy with regard to this verse in that in Leviticus 19 verse 28, if you want to turn there, to Leviticus 19 verse 28. And it has to do with markings and tattoos. Just about every person that you see on the shopping areas and the public today in the United States, this includes all men and women, they have a tattoo on their bodies. And we look at Leviticus 19 in verse 28, and we'll see that there's a prohibition against making any kind of marking or cutting on the body. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead and print any marks upon you. I am the eternal. Now the commentaries talk about later on that Christians, and they would be, I have seen nominal Christians, would write and have crosses and some kind of a Christian symbol icon upon their flesh. Well, we have this verse here in Leviticus 19.28 that clearly says that there not be any markings on the body yet. We find in Revelation chapter 22, it will turn there, in Revelation 22. And we'll see right here in Revelation 22 that the name of God will be upon their foreheads.

In Revelation 22 verse 2 and in the midst of the street of it and on the side of the river, there were trees, the tree of life, which have 12 manner of fruits and included every fruit every month. And the leaves, the trees, and the trees, having trouble seeing here. And the trees inquire for the naming of the nations.

There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God of the Lamb shall be in the middle and the servants, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. So God writes His names in their foreheads. In Revelation chapter 3 it talks about that you will receive a new name, and here it says that the name of God will be in their foreheads. So it remains somewhat of a conundrum with regard to the tattoos. The way I read it is that we are not to make any markings upon our bodies. If God writes our name on His forehead, on our foreheads, then that is His prerogative. But maybe you should keep in mind, I have counseled quite a number of young people with regard to tattoos, and I used Leviticus 19 verse 28 to show that God says that we should not do that. That is, to make any markings upon our bodies. These chapters in Isaiah 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, along in here more and more emphasize the fact that there is no God but Yahweh and His anointed. That says the eternal, the King of Israel. And once again, we know that anything that can be said of the Father generally can be said of the Son. Jesus Christ is coming back as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, but yet the Father is over Jesus Christ. Even though Jesus Christ has been given all power over all nations upon the face of the earth, He still is under the direction of His Father. So then you see, thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and His Redeemer. So by that, you know that the Yahweh spoken of here in verse 1 is the Father and His Redeemer. His Redeemer is referring to Jesus Christ. Now in some verses, you'll find that the Father is also referred to as the Redeemer. There would be no Redeemer unless the Father had sent the Son, and there would be no Redeemer unless the Son had agreed to be sent by the Father. And His Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, the Jesus Christ has been given authority over the angelic realm. The angelic realm will oftentimes help Him and fight with Him, especially in the battle of the great day of God Almighty. I am the first, and I am the last. Besides me, there is no God.

Remember that Jesus Christ told Mary Magdalene that morning after the resurrection, says, Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, your God, and my God. And there are other places in which Jesus Christ refers to God the Father as my God and the only true God, as it says in John 17. But that doesn't mean that Jesus Christ is not God because He is God, and He too has power to forgive sin. And it's through His blood that we are redeemed and brought back from sin and death, and who, as I shall call and shall declare it, and said in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people.

Once again, we see that God has chosen Israel, the ancient people, and they are His. And He's going to make sure that the prophecies concerning them are fulfilled, and the things that are coming in shall come, let them show unto them. Fear you not, neither be afraid, have I not told you from that time, from the time He called them out, from the time that Abraham was called out of Ural the Chaldees and came into the Promised Land, and to the promises that were made to Abraham, that through His seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and have declared it, yet are you even my witnesses.

Is there God besides me? Yea, there is no God. I know not any. So then, He begins to talk about the folly of idolatry, very similar to what we read from Isaiah 42 and 43, that make a graven image are all of them vanity, and their delectable things shall not profit, and they are their own witnesses. They see not, nor know that they may be ashamed. They are not ashamed for some reason, as they say, they just don't get it.

They don't understand who the true God is, and much of Israel never understood who the true God is, and who they were dealing with, who had formed a God or molten, a graven image, that is profitable for nothing. No matter what graven image it is, whether it's made out of wood, hay, stubble, or precious gems, and no matter who bows down and worships it, it profits them nothing.

Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed, and the workmen they are of men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up, yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. The Smith with the Tongues both works in the coals and fashions it will hammers. The Smith, being the blacksmith, as we call him today, works with tongs and hammers, and hammers out in shapes, whatever the idol might be, and works with strength of his arms.

Yes, he is hungry, and his strength falls or fails. He drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretched out his rule. He marks it out with a line. He fits it with planes. He marks it out with the compass and makes it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house. So they set up these idols and icons in their houses and in their places of worship.

He hues them down cedars and takes the cypress and the oak, and the hardiest of timbers, those that last the longest, which he strengthens for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants an ash, and ash is a very hard wood. Back when we used to have homemade baseball bats, we would get an ash tree and peel the bark off of it and use it as a bat because it was so hard.

And some of the companies that made baseball bats would use ash as their timber, and the rain does nourish. Then shall it be for a man to burn, for he will take thereof. In other words, he'll take the same wood that he made an idol out of, and he will light a fire, warm himself, yea, he kindles it and bakes bread, yes, he makes a god and worships it. He makes it a graven image and falls down there, too. So he bows down and worships the work of his hands, very thing that after the residue or whatever is left over from making an idol of the wood, he will take the wood and burn it and cook his meals.

He burns part thereof in the fire, and part thereof he eats flesh, he roasts this roast, and is satisfied, yes, he warns himself, and says, aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire.

And the residue thereof, he makes a god, that which is left over, the residue, even his graven image, he falls down unto it and worships it, and prays unto it, and says, deliver me, for you heart my god. It would seem that the foolishness of this and the nothingness of this and the worthlessness of this would be apparent, but for some reason he doesn't get it. They have not known nor understood, for he has shut their eyes that they cannot see, hearts that they cannot understand. So they have eyes that have been shut, and to a large degree, God has shut the eyes of people today. He's calling out a chosen few, and for those who know the truth today, how marvelous and how wonderful that he is. If you would turn to Mark, not Mark, but Matthew 13 and verse 14. Matthew 13 verse 14. And we see here that God deliberately spoke to them in parables, and a veil was upon their face. And of course, the veil is taken away in Christ, but they never recognized Christ. We'll read that verse as well in just a moment about the veil being taken away in Christ. In Matthew chapter 13 and verse 14. Matthew 13-14. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive. You just don't get it. And this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull appearing, and their eyes, they have closed, and at the time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with the heart, and should be converted, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. So those who understand the plan and purpose, the providence of God, today what a wonderful blessing that is. It is a blessing that is incomparable upon the face of the earth. Now notice further in this chapter, down in verse 34 of Matthew 13, Matthew 13, verse 34. All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spoke he not unto them. That it might be fulfilled which were spoken by the prophet saying, I will, I will open my mouth in parables of other things which have not been, which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. So God has kept a lot of things secret from the foundation of the world. And many things were opened up at the return of at the first coming of Jesus Christ. More things will be opened up at the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, the second coming.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house and his disciples came unto him saying, declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. Then Jesus began to explain that parable and notice what happens. Verse 38. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is at the end of the age, the Aeon. There are five words that are translated world in the New Testament. The principle two or three are Aeon, Cosmos, and Chronos.

The end of the world and the reapers are the angels. Now notice this.

And therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire. So shall it be at the end of this age. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels. See, he is the Lord of Hosts. And they shall gather out of the kingdom all things that offend, and them which do lawlessness, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teas. A similar language that is used with the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 24, where it talks about those that were foolish and went out to try to get oil, but was too late, and came back and said open unto us. And he said, no, you're too late. The door's been closed, and there was weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teas. Very interesting here with regard to sending forth the angels and gathering the tares out of them and casting them into the lake of fire. We have not really discussed this or focused on this very much, or what exactly when this is, what this means, and everything that goes with it. But you'll note that in your Bibles, and maybe you can do further study on it. Now let's go back to Isaiah 44.

We'll read that last phrase there in Isaiah, for he has shut their eyes, and they cannot see hearts, and they cannot understand. Isaiah 44. 18. Now verse 19, Isaiah 44, verse 19. And non-considers in his heart, neither is their knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire. Yes, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof. I have roasted flesh and eaten it, and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

So the one who does this, how foolish and how thoughtless this is, he seems not to comprehend the contradiction that is involved in it. He feeds on ashes that has seemed hard, has turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, his life essence, nor say is there not a lie in my right hand. Then the focus turns to the redemption of Israel, and once again I remind you of duality in that after Babylon was taken, after Judah was taken captive by Babylon and were there for some 70 years, then they were allowed to return, and there was a restoration and the rebuilding of a second temple, which is covered in the book of Ezra and also in the books especially of Haggai and Zechariah. So Isaiah 44 and verse 21, Remember these, O Jacob and Israel, for you art my servant. I have formed you. You art my servant, O Israel. You shall not be forgotten of me. And once again, just time after time after time, God says, I'm not forgetting Israel. I have chosen her from the beginning. I've chosen her from in the womb. I've chosen her from ancient times. I'm not going to forget her. There's no way, no how. In fact, so much of the Bible, if God didn't take care of Israel and restore him, her in the millennium, then much of the Bible would not be true. So for sure, Israel is going to preserve her. Israel is going to persist and exist, though it may be a very small number, as it says in some verses.

I have blotted out as a thick cloud your transgressions, and as a cloud your sins return unto me, for I have redeemed you. I have bought you back. I'm going to restore you. So there was a type of restoration under the hands of Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest, and also the two prophets that were on the scene, Haggai and Zachariah, in the rebuilding of the Second Temple and the restoration of Jerusalem, which largely was covered in the book of Nehemiah. And seeing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it. Shout, you lower parts of the earth. Bring forth into singing, you mountains, O forests, and every tree therein, for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel. Thus says the Lord, you're a demer, and he that formed you from the womb, once again we have he that formed you from the womb. So that plan of starting with the least known and the smallest of nations, and bringing them through all kinds of trials, troubles, captivity, and every kind of trial you could possibly imagine have been foisted off on Israel. But yet, at the same time, God says, I am not going to forget you. I am your Redeemer. I formed you from the womb.

I am the eternal that makes all things that stretches forth to heavens, alone that spreads abroad the earth by myself, that frustrates the tokens of the liars.

There are so many liars today, and their tokens are not worth the paper they're written on, or the breath that is necessary for them to speak, the things that they speak, and makes the binders mad. Those that think they know something, the binders, those who are involved in the occult witchcraft, or try to predict the future, that turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish, that confirms the word of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messenger that says to Jerusalem, You shall be inhabited. And we know that famous verse from Zechariah chapter 8 verse 4. Zechariah chapter 8 verse 4, it says that there shall yet be old men and women and young children that shall play in the streets of Jerusalem. And of course, that time is coming. That will be millennium. It confirms the word of his servant and performs the counsel of his messenger that says to Jerusalem, You shall be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof. That says to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers. But it says of Cyrus. And so before Cyrus came on the scene, he is named by name in the book of Isaiah. And he is the one that made the decree that Judah could go back and build the second temple. So we want to read Ezra chapter 1 and verse 1 and 2 and maybe 3. Ezra chapter 1.

Ezra chapter 1 and verse 1. Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the eternal by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, say, Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. And then he begins to name those that can go back. And Ezra begins to name those that goes back to build the second temple. Now continuing in Isaiah 44 and verse 28.

It says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, you shall be built and to the temple your foundation shall be laid. So the second temple was built. And of course, now the Temple Institute in Jerusalem and the Zionists, especially the political Jews, and a lot of the Orthodox Jews are very much against building a third temple, because they contend that it is only the Messiah, when he comes, will build the third temple. So there is a vision among them about that, and many of the Orthodox Jews, especially those Orthodox Jews in the area of Brooklyn, New York, and some of the Orthodox Jews in Israel today are against building a third temple. But the Zionist Jews and some of the Reform Jews, and of course the Christian world, they read 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, where this son of perdition sits in the temple of God, saying that he is God, and he is the one that causes the sacrifice and oblation to cease and places the abomination that makes desolate.

So now we go to Isaiah 45, and we have much of the same in Isaiah 45 as we had in 44. In Isaiah 45 and verse 1, thus says the eternal to his anointed bessarius. And that word is the same word that is used for the Messiah for Christ in the Psalms, chapters 2 verses 1 and 2, to his anointed to Jesus Christ, the one who became Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Thus says the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus, those whose right hand I have holden to subdue nations. Therefore, him will I lose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaven gates, and the gates shall not be shut. One of the things that the Babylonians had built two gates that kept out the waters and also kept out the enemies from conquering the cities. And so, according to some historical sources, that the Medes and the Persians were able to drain a lot of the water, and they were able to march into the city and go over the gates and conquer Babylon. And the story of that conquering is given in the book of Daniel, where Daniel writes about Belteshazzar seeing, or Belteshazzar, not Belteshazzar, Belteshazzar, seeing the handwriting on the wall. And it says, many, many, Tecla Euflarsen, your kingdom has been weighed in the balance and found walking. And this very night, your kingdom is going to end. And so the Medes and the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire. And it was shortly after that, after the Medes and the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire, the Sires issued the decree that they could go back and build the temple. Now verse 2, I will go before you and make the crooked places straight. I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut in sundered the bars of iron. And so the Medes and the Persians were able to go into Babylon, basically, unabated.

And it will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches. Remember the duality that is in this, because much of this happens, the same kind of thing happens also in the millennium. And hidden riches and secret places that you may know that I am the eternal, which call you by your name. I am the God of Israel. By your name, am the God of Israel. And once again, we say this over and over about what can be said of the Father, said of the Son, with regard to which one. And oftentimes we can tell by the context which is it the Father or the Son that is speaking.

In verse 4, for Jacob, my servant's sake and Israel, mine elect. And once again, we come back to this time after time after time that God talks about how Jacob, Israel, is his elect, and he's going to take care of them. I have even called you by your name. I have sure named you, though you have not known me. Now, that word known me has to do with you have not really understood me. You have not really brought forth the fruit that is that I expected you to bring forth. They were to be a model nation and to bring all nations into a relationship with God. But, of course, that covenant that they made was not kept, it was broken.

And you can look at Strong's and you see the for the word known here as Yadaa. And Yadaa means to be aware of, to ascertain with certainty, to comprehend, to consider, to declare, to be diligent. It just goes on and on with, and then it says to understand, have understanding, and so on. So you have not really understood what I'm all about. And even though I have called you by my name, you have not really known me as you should have known me, based on all the things that I have done for you. Now verse five. I'm the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside me. I girded you, though you have not known me. But they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the eternal, there is none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. Now we want to focus on this word, hear evil. I have even heard a minister in the Church of God talk about how to read this as if God creates evil. It does not mean evil in the sense that we think of evil, and that is doing something that leads to sin or is sin. Once again, it is not talking about something that is sin or leads to sin. It means calamity, upset. That does not mean evil in the sense of lawlessness or sin. That God creates, that he can create, he can create upset, calamity, and he uses nations and other nations to fulfill, and even people. As in the case of Cyrus here, I don't think Cyrus was ever converted as far as a converted person is, that he was ever converted, but he did issue the decree for Judah to go back and build that second temple. So I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity, upset. The Lord does all these things. Drop down, you heavens, from above.

Drop down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation.

Metaphorically speaking, and let righteousness spring up together, the Lord have created it. And so, using metaphoric language and poetic language about what God is going to do, verse 9, woe unto them that strives with his maker. Let the potch herds strive with the potch herds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, what make you of your work? He has no hands. So Isaiah uses this analogy of the potter and the clay in his writings. Look at Isaiah 63, verse 8. This is easy to remember because you have in 63, 16, verse 16, doubtless you are our Father. That's a very important phrase there. Doubtless you aren't our Father. Though Abraham be ignorant of us, and I don't think anyone has ever thoroughly explained that, and Israel acknowledges not you, O Lord, aren't our Father, our Redeemer. Your name is from everlasting. Now you look at 63, and verse 8. 63, and then verse, I mean 64 in verse 8. 64 in verse 8.

But now, O Lord, you aren't our Father. We are the clay, and you are potter, and we are the work of your hand. Well, Isaiah uses this analogy of the potter and the clay. Would the clay ever say to the potter, you know, how formed myself, know it's the potter that forms us, and God is molding us, shaping us according to His will. As the apostle Paul writes, that he who has begun a good work, and you will finish it to the time of your demise, or as the time Christ comes again.

So we read that verse again, verse 9.

Really, it should say, will the pot's herds strive with the pot's herds of the earth? Shall the clay say to him that fashions it, what make you or your work? Yet, though hands, woe to him that says unto his Father, what get you, or to the woman, what have you brought forth? I mean, no one in their right mind would say to his Father, I really didn't want to be born, or your mother, I really didn't want to be born either. Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, notice this, and his Maker, Jesus Christ, the agent of creation, asked me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command you me, I have made the earth and created man upon it. Now, once again, we hearken to John 1, 1, 2, 3, where it says that everything that was made was made through Jesus Christ. Even my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways, that he shall build my city. So, here, speaking of Cyrus, that Cyrus was raised up, that he should build my city. Of course, Jesus Christ has been raised up. He's going to come again, and Jerusalem is going to become the praise of the whole earth. I'd say that again, and Jerusalem is going to become the praise of the whole earth. And he shall let go my captives, not for prize nor reward, says the Eternal Host. Well, the Eternal Host is going to speak, and it's going to be done. Now, we focus on the Lord, the only Savior. Last time, we talked about, and we read these two verses. I'll read them again about Savior. The Father is called the Savior in the book of Titus, and Christ is called the Savior in the book of Titus. We have the same thing in 2 Peter 1.1 and in Jude 1.25. So, let's read Titus 1 in verse 3. But if hath in due time manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior. Sometimes the Scripture will say God our Savior, and sometimes it will say Christ our Savior. In Titus 1.4, the succeeding verse, to Titus, my own Son, after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Now, in 2 Peter 1.1, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained light precious faith with us through the righteousness of God, God has kept his promise and provided Messiah, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, listen to this in Jude 1.25, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and ever. Amen. So, once again, you can see it can refer to either the Savior can refer to either the Father or the Son.

So, we read verse 15 again, barely you art a God, you hide yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

We skip verse 14, I think I'm going to read 14. Thus says the eternal labor of Egypt and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature shall come over unto you, and they shall be yours, they shall come after you in change, they shall come over, they shall fall down unto you, and they shall make supplication unto you, saying, surely God is in you, and there is none else, there is no God but you. I read it, I added the but you, similar to what it says in many other verses. Ee.

Barely you art a God that hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

In verse 16, they shall be ashamed and also confounded, all of them, they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols, but Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end, age after age, world without end.

And thus, as the Eternal created the heavens, God himself formed the earth, made it, as established it, he created not in vain. As we read in Genesis chapter 1, he then created a togheb and bohem, he formed it to be inhabited, and we have read how that old men and women and children should yet play in the Church of Jerusalem. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in dark places of the earth.

In verse 20, assemble yourselves and come.

Verse 20, assemble yourselves and come, draw near earth together. You are escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and prey on God that set them.

Tell you and bring them near. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Of course, God has declared it from ancient time. He goes to the beginning to the end. And who has told it from that time? Have not I the Eternal? There is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior. There is none beside me. Look into me. Be you saved. All ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. I am sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth. Righteousness and shall not return. That unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess.

And that same thing is that is said of Jesus Christ, that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Surely shall one say in the Lord, Have I righteousness and strength even to him shall men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. And the Lord shall your seed, the seed of Israel, be justified, and shall glory.

So we come to the end of the study tonight in chapter 45. We'll begin with chapter 36 the next time. And so we ask once again, do we have any question or comment from you on these two chapters?

44 and 45.

Do you have any other questions? There's surely a lot of reminders throughout these chapters of the power and the omnipotence of God. And there's none like him. And we obviously are reminded in so many different ways and in so many different metaphors and sayings and all that, that we are to love him and respect him and honor him and that there is none like him. Lots of reminders of that.

Lots of reminders of that and lots of reminders that God has chosen Israel from the womb, and he's going to make sure that he fulfills what is spoken of them in prophecy.

We have any other question or comment?

As far as the third temple, there's no indication anywhere of how complex it'll be or whatever. It could just be something simple, couldn't it? Or does it have to be the magnificence that it was before? It probably doesn't matter. I was just curious.

Well, what you can read, there are several sources of Jewish publications, Jewish news sources, that talk about the building of the third temple. And they are planning a very magnificent thing. And what they are going to call it, at this point, many of them are saying that they are going to call it a house of prayer for all nations and a temple for all nations. And when you look at the world situation today, you just wonder how on earth will the Jews be able to build a temple on the Temple Mount? I covered in this sermon this past Sabbath the fact that in the 67 war that Israel, one, they gained control of the Temple Mount, and yet they turned it over to the control of Jordan. And Jordan is a bit different from the other Muslim countries, in the sense of they believe that there is a line of succession set up of direct heirs of Mohammed. So it's called the Hashemite Kingdom. And the king of Jordan, the one that Mr. Armstrong interfaced with, was Hussein. And now his son, Abdullah, the son of Hussein, is the king of Jordan. And they claim direct descent to Mohammed. Now the building of that temple, it's going to require a tremendous amount of doings. I have gotten a letter from one of our former students. He's more into messianic Judaism, saying that there'll never be any kind of peace between the Jews and the Muslims. Well, tell me how in the world can 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 be fulfilled, unless there is some kind of a peace of course that allows Israel to build a third temple. He sits in the temple of God saying, he is God. And a lot of people are going to be deceived about that. In fact, it says that everyone whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be deceived. That's Revelation 13 verse 8. So there are going to be a lot of people deceived, and they will believe the big lie. What is the big lie? The big lie is that this one that is sitting in the temple, saying that he is God, that the world, those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Let's read Revelation 13. 8. Revelation 13 verse 8. I'll get there in a moment. Revelation 13 8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So the deception that is coming, as it says in Matthew 24 and verse 24, I believe it is, I'm pretty sure it is, that the deception is going to be so great that if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived. It says that in Matthew 24, 24, if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived. That's how deceptive what is coming is going to be.

And much of this, who knows what all this has to transpire, whether you believe that the tribulation only lasts three and a half years, or the great tribulation spoken of, starts with replacing the abomination of desolation. Christ says that very clearly in Matthew 24, 15, and 21, Matthew 24, 21 especially. And then in Daniel chapter 12, it says from the time that the abomination of desolation is placed, 1290 days, and then it says blessed is he that comes to the 1335 days.

So this temple is, I think, is going to be rather a magnificent kind of thing. It will be, it certainly won't be just an average kind of building, from what I read. Okay, thank you.

Any other comment or question?

Okay, we'll see you in two weeks. See, two weeks is after Thanksgiving, isn't it? Yeah, it is. So we'll see you after Thanksgiving, and then Wednesday after, of course, Thanksgiving is Thursday before that, and so it's six. 29th? Yeah, we'll see you at 29th, 14th, 15th, or 29th. So we'll see you in two weeks, and we'll start with Isaiah 46. There's lots of wonderful material and a lot of it is repetitive, and just time after time Isaiah reminds us of who and what God is, who and what Christ is, and how that He has chosen Israel, and he's going to fulfill everything that is said by the prophets from time immemorial, and it's just a wonderful study.