Isaiah

What is your favorite book in the Bible? I think if I had to narrow it right down to my very favorite book of all, it would be the book of Isaiah. And that's what I would like to speak about this afternoon because we live in a time where so much of the news is negative, a downer, and Isaiah is a book that has wonderful prophecies about the future, coming time of prosperity, peace, happiness, and joy.

Prophecies about the world tomorrow, as we call it, the millennium. Let's do a little short quiz on Isaiah to see how we do. We're going to study this book, and let's see how we do on these five statements. True or false? Isaiah is the longest book in the Bible. What do you think? False. Oh, you're right! Many people think Isaiah has 66 chapters, and they think it was the longest book, but actually Jeremiah and Genesis and Psalms and Ezekiel all beat out Isaiah. Isaiah comes in about number five. All right, number two. Isaiah lived at the time Judah was going into captivity to Babylon. What do you think? Only a few were answering, but you're answering correct, and that is a false statement. He did not live at the time that Judah was going into captivity to Babylon, but instead Israel, the ten northern tribes, were going into captivity at that time. See, Israel divided after Solomon into two different nations. The ten northern tribes of Israel went into captivity during the time of Isaiah, not Judah.

Judah was about a hundred years later. Number three. True or false? Isaiah and Jeremiah were contemporary prophets. False. We're getting them all right, but not everybody is answering. No, Isaiah was about a hundred years or so before Jeremiah. Jeremiah was during the fall of Judah. Isaiah was a hundred years or so earlier during the fall of the ten northern tribes. All right. Number four.

Isaiah is the most directly quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament.

All right. I think we can say almost a true and false on this one because the Psalms...there are 68 direct quotes from the Psalms in the New Testament, and Isaiah has 55. But as far as New Testament references, Isaiah has 419 references in the New Testament, whereas the Psalms have 414. So they were very close together, but a little bit of difference there. Almost a true and false on this one. Number five. True or false? Isaiah wrote that everyone...and this is a quote then... Isaiah wrote, quote, everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid. Unquote. What do you think?

I think it's true. It is false. It is Micah. Micah is the one that wrote that, but Isaiah did... Micah and Isaiah had similar prophecies in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4, but Micah is the one that included sitting under his vine and under his fig tree.

And Isaiah did not include that in his...you did not read that in Isaiah.

Okay, we did we did good overall. We did miss out on that last one, but that was a little bit of a tricky one, I do admit. I think that today to study and look at the book of Isaiah then is very appropriate. We live in evil times.

Conditions in the world are getting worse. What is Russia up to over in Ukraine?

What is China up to done in Taiwan? We know what they'd like with both nations, and invasions could very very easily happen in those two areas. That could change so very quickly. We know that our president has not had a strong posture as far as as his foreign policy, and there's a lot of disrespect.

And these rogue nations then, what's going to happen over in Iran, North Korea? So there are many trouble spots right now that we need to keep our eye on. But so the news is largely, we throw on top of that the COVID, all the news about COVID.

So there's a lot of negative news. This is going to be soothing to our souls today because Isaiah has so much good news that we're going to read. I'd like to begin by quoting some Bible study aids. First of all, Haller's Bible Handbook says Isaiah called the Messianic prophet because he was so thoroughly imbued with the idea that his nation was to be a Messianic nation to the world.

A nation through whom one day a great and wonderful blessing would come from God to all nations. And he was continually dreaming of the day when that wonderful work would be done. We're going to see verses on it as we go through this sermon. Angus Bible Handbook has this to say, the kingdom of God triumphs in the end and wins the whole world to its beneficent sway. The prevailing thought is the establishment of God's universal kingdom and its triumph over every opposing form of evil. And so, yes, we know the kingdom of God is going to triumph indeed. And the kingdom of God, God's kingdom, is going to win the whole earth over to its way of thinking.

We're going to read about that today. A little bit of background on Isaiah. Isaiah lived around 750 to 700 BC. So around just over 1700 years ago. A little bit more. It was the time when the ten tribes, the ten northern tribes, were going into captivity to Assyria. Judah would go into captivity to Babylon about a hundred years later, around 600 BC. But Isaiah prophesied of the restoration of Israel and Judah and salvation to all nations. The very name Isaiah means the eternal is salvation.

And that is the salvation of mankind. That's the salvation we look for today. That's our hope. If God's kingdom is not going to be set up on the earth, if Christ is not going to return and set up God's kingdom, we don't have any hope. But we do have strong hope. Just a few personal things. Isaiah did begin as a young man.

You can read in Isaiah 1 and verse 1 that he prophesied during the reign of several kings. You look at when those kings reigned and you'll see that certainly he prophesied probably over around a 50-year period, which means he would have begun his prophecies when he was a young man, probably in his 20s. And prophesied then for around 50 years. He had a wife and two sons. You'll read that in chapters 7 and 8. And when he was a young man and God was looking for someone to be a prophet, he's the one that said, Here am I.

Send me. You know, I think we can follow in the footsteps of Isaiah then today. And we can say, Well, God, here am I. As far as doing the work, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, the same message Jesus preached, then here am I.

Send me. Let us follow in Isaiah's footsteps. Isaiah was brilliant. There's no doubt about that. Very smart, very well educated, the way he writes. People marvel today at his, at the, well, just the style in which he wrote. Well, my purpose is not to cover the whole book of Isaiah. We can't begin to do that, but to kind of whet your appetite. You might want to read more of these prophecies when you you go home in your own personal Bible study. Let's give a few of the key areas that Isaiah prophesied in his book.

Number one, Isaiah prophesied a worldwide government by Jesus Christ. Let's read just a few verses beginning in the last chapter of Isaiah, Isaiah 66 and verse 15.

This chapter shows Jesus Christ returning with great power, and with other verses we'll read, then proceeding to set up God's government on this earth.

How many people in the world understand that? That Jesus Christ is going to return.

The saints are going to be resurrected and meet Jesus Christ up in the air, and then they all come down. Jesus and the saints come down to the earth and begin to set up the kingdom of God. So many people in the world think that Christ is going to come back and and all the saints are then resurrected, taken up to heaven, where they're going to spend all eternity. That's not what the Bible teaches. That is not the true gospel. That's a false gospel, actually. Isaiah 66 and verse 15, the Lord will come with fire and with chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire. Yes, God Almighty and Jesus Christ can be angry, but they do not sin. It goes on to say, By fire and by his sword the Lord will judge all flesh, and the slain of the Lord shall be many. So Jesus Christ is going to return in power, and he's going to set up God's government on the earth. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 9 now and see that the government is going to be upon his shoulders. Isaiah chapter 9. One thing about a sermon like this one today, we don't do a lot of turning back and forth.

We are staying in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6, And to us a child is born, and to us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder.

I'll say that he's going to be the king. Zechariah 14, he will be the king over all the earth.

The government shall be upon his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, and Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end upon the throne of David reigning then right here on this earth, on the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever. Is it going to happen? The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. Yes, God Almighty is going to set up a perfect righteous government. Let's read in chapter 11 just how righteous and perfect that government is going to be. Isaiah 11, in verse 3, he's talking about Jesus Christ then in verses 1 and 2, the Spirit of the Lord resting upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, and counsel in might and knowledge and fear of the Lord.

In verse 3, his delight is in the fear of the Lord, and he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes.

Nor decide by the hearing of his ears. He won't go on hearsay, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. Jesus Christ then is going to set up a perfect righteous government. As members of the church know, those who are being called today are being trained to reign in that government with Jesus Christ. You know, I hope we'll always stand in awe of the high calling we have. The one today that God is working with, he is handpicking and training ones who will govern with Jesus Christ as a king and priest.

You know, it's something so awesome that I think we ourselves almost cannot realize that it's real, that we can imagine reigning with Jesus Christ. It's kind of hard for me, I have to admit.

But Isaiah prophesied of this government that is going to be set up on the earth and bring peace to all of mankind. Number two, the second thing Isaiah prophesied, that God's laws will be kept by all nations, the Ten Commandments of God. Let's go to Isaiah 2 to begin reading about that. Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 1. The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. So the latter days, that's the time we're living in right now, the mountain of the Lord's house will be established.

God's government, God's kingdom will be established then, and all nations, notice, all nations will flow to it. You know Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, all nations on the earth are going to begin, will be under this government. Verse 3, many people shall come and say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, the law of God, the Ten Commandments, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. So God's law and God's way of life will go forth. The earth is going to be filled with the knowledge of God and his way of life.

Let's turn to chapter 11 again, and this time we'll read verse 9. The whole earth is going to be full of the knowledge of God and his law and his way of life. Isn't that going to be wonderful?

What will the earth be like when everyone keeps the Ten Commandments? You know, I wouldn't mind living in a neighborhood, would you, where everybody keeps the Ten Commandments. You could throw away your keys. You wouldn't need them. You would not have to lock your doors. You would not need to be afraid of anyone. It would be wonderful. Well, Jesus Christ is going to establish such conditions on the earth. Isaiah 11 and verse 9, they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. I just have to tell the story of Herbert Armstrong. His wife did not like to fly, so they took transatlantic voyages from, they needed to go over to England and do some work in that area, so they took a boat ride over. And Mr. Armstrong was, this was probably about 1955 or 6, somewhere back in that time frame. On this one journey, Dick Armstrong, their oldest son, was on this voyage with them. Mr. Armstrong missed his son. They went looking for him and found him at one of the decks, the rail at the deck, just leaning over, looking out at all the water that was out there. Mr. Armstrong came up beside him and just nobody said anything for a little bit. And then Dick Armstrong spoke up and said, you know, Dad, when the earth is as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, it's going to be full of God's knowledge, isn't it? That was what he was thinking about this verse, Isaiah 11 and verse 9. So Mr. Armstrong enjoyed telling that story. I heard it a few times from him. So the earth is going to be full of the knowledge of the Lord. If any of us, I've never been transatlantic. I have been, you know, in some broad expanses of water. I've flown across broad expanses of water. But when the earth is as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, God hasten that day. It's coming.

Let's go to Isaiah 66 and verse 18. Isaiah 66 and verse 18. And we might even read beginning in verse 17 because that shows something about God's law as well. Remember, we just read earlier, verses 15 and 16, that Christ will come. He will be angry when He comes, and He will judge all flesh.

Verse 16 and verse 17. Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves to go to the gardens after an idol in the midst, so false idolatrous worship, eating what kind of flesh?

Swine's flesh. And the abomination and the mouse shall be consumed together, says the Lord. You know, that's one of the verses that shows that in the world to come, the people will not be eating pork. That's one of the unclean animals that God forbids us to eat. And this scripture here shows that those who eat swine's flesh will certainly come under condemnation at the coming of Christ.

Verse 18 goes on to say, I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see my glory. So all nations are going to see the glory of the great God. And look at now verse 23. It shall come to pass from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another. All flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord.

Can we imagine that? Everyone, all humans on the earth, will be keeping the Sabbath day. They'll come to worship God. We've come to worship God today on the Sabbath. This is a holy commanded convocation. This meeting is commanded of God. And so in the millennium, when Christ is reigning, everyone will be keeping the Sabbath. They won't go to church on Sunday. Sunday will be a work day for everyone to get the work week started. We won't think of Sunday as being a part of the weekend anymore. Today we say the weekend. We think about Friday, maybe Friday late, and then Saturday and Sunday. But Sunday is actually not the weekend. That's the week start, the start of the week. And people will get the right terminology for weekend. The weekend will be the Sabbath.

That's when the week ends. So the Sabbath is going to be observed by everyone. God's law will be taught, and God's law will be enforced. Can we imagine that? And it's going to produce a wonderful world of society, a golden age of many, many blessings. Okay, number three.

Isaiah prophesied about the wonderful world tomorrow and what a golden age it is going to be.

It's going to be a time of refreshing. It's going to be a time of restoration. It's what the Feast of Tabernacles that we keep in the fall of each year. Pictures. We get a foretaste of it. Let's just go back to a few scriptures then, beginning in Isaiah 2. We'll be going back and forth in this book. We're going to wear out the pages here. In Isaiah chapter 2, we notice that there's going to be peace. Peace is going to break out all over the earth. We read these verses. We won't repeat them. Verses 2 and 3. But we did not read verse 4. He shall judge. And again, remember this is in the latter days, verse 2, when all nations flow to the government of Christ and the law of God goes forth out of Zion. In verse 4, He shall judge between the nations and shall rebuke many people.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Isn't that wonderful? You know, you think about a sword. Is there any more brutal way that somebody could kill somebody than take up a sword and just pierce them and maybe cut off their head?

What a gruesome thing that is. Well, they're going to beat their swords into plowshares.

Their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. There won't be any military institutions anymore teaching people the art of warfare. So what a wonderful thing this is. Imagine no more wars, no more armies, no more crime.

It's going to be wonderful. You know, in New York City, in front of the United Nations Building, there is a picture of what is described here in Isaiah 2 of a man beating a sword into a plowshare.

Maybe some of us have seen that in New York City right in front of the United Nations Building.

You know who that was built by and when? It was built shortly after World War II. I don't have the exact year, but it was actually built by a Russian, not an American. I'm kind of ashamed of our country not getting the jump on Russia on that one, but a Russian sculpture or blacksmith or whatever beat that, was beating that piece of that sword, that piece of metal into a plow.

So, in the world to come, there will be peace. Peace is going to break out all around the world.

Would that be wonderful? The wild animals will be tamed. Let's go to Isaiah 11. I know we're reading some scriptures that we know already, but that's okay. We need good news, don't we, in this time that we're living. Isaiah 11, verse 6, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leper shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion, the fatland together. A little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze. Their young ones lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Can we imagine that? A lion eating straw like the ox. The nursing child will play on the cobra's hole. The winged child put his hand on the viper's den. It's just going to be a wonderful time. A wonderful time indeed. No more deserts and wastelands. Let's no more Sahara. Let's go over to Isaiah 35. No more Sahara desert and all the other deserts in the world. We're turning to Isaiah 35. And no more Congo jungle. No more Amazon. All that is going to be changed into very productive farmland where people can live and enjoy life. Isaiah 35 and verse 1, The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them. The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy in singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it. You know, we're reading from Isaiah because no other prophet prophesies as much as Isaiah. Isaiah has more about the kingdom of God and conditions in the millennium than any other prophet. No other prophet has as much, not nearly as much, as Isaiah. He's the world tomorrow prophet. I've entitled this sermon, Isaiah the world tomorrow prophet, because that's what he is. He's writing about it more than any other of the prophets. There will be good health also and divine healing in Isaiah 35 and verse 5. The eyes of the blind shall be opened.

I tell you, won't that be wonderful? If we were blind, can you imagine, you know, just close your eyes for a second or two, can you imagine going through the whole day like that, your whole life?

What a blessing it is to be able to see. Well, the eyes of the blind will be open.

The ears of the deaf will be also will be shall be unstopped. It's a wonderful thing to be able to hear. We take it for granted, seeing, hearing. We should thank God every day for it. The lame shall leap like a deer, a blessing to be able to walk around. And the lame will leap. Then the tongue of the dumb will sing. So there's going to be good health. Imagine no more hospitals. Well, these hospitals are huge. A hospital here in Macon is just a huge complex. Just to, and then there are other offices that branch out in the general neighborhood from the hospital complex. Just imagine that that won't be necessary. Isaiah prophesied about it right here. No more sickness and disease. What about nations who get along together and cooperate? Let's read about that in Isaiah 19. When nations work together to produce and to accomplish, it's going to be wonderful.

And we read about it here in Isaiah chapter 19 and verse 23. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, which will go right through Israel. And the Assyrians shall come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. They're going to worship and serve together. In that day Israel shall be one of three with Egypt and Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land. And the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, blessed is Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance. You know, the Egyptians have been a great people. Look at what they accomplished, all those things that they built.

They have been great people. They've been more or less under a curse for over 2,000 years and not been all that great. The Assyrians have been a very talented people today, the modern-day Germans, that do extraordinary work, precise and good work. And then the Israelites, well, are going to be God's inheritance. They're going to be God's model nation. We'll get to that next in just a moment. Can we imagine all the nations working together to accomplish and to produce the coming? Let's go to number four. Isaiah prophesied that Israel would be God's model nation.

Even here in chapter 19, we read that Israel would be God's inheritance. And by Israel, what do we mean? We mean the United States. We mean Great Britain, the democracies of northwestern Europe. We mean the Jewish people. They all descend from the 12 tribes of Israel.

But first of all, God must clean up and refine Israel, which He will do. Let's read from chapter four now. God is going to clean us up. We need cleaning up. Today almost anything seems to go.

People can just live together unmarried. There can be gay marriage, which the Bible forbids.

All kinds of things we seem to want to condone and accept. Isaiah chapter 4 and verse 2, "...in that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing, and those of Israel who have escaped. It shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, every one who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem." Every single one will be very deeply converted. Verse 4, "...when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning." So yes, the great God is going to clean us up. We're not able to do it ourselves, but He is able and will do it.

Isaiah 48 and verse 10. So this is wonderful to think about the United States, Britain, Northwestern Europeans, Jewish people all being brought together because they descend from the twelve tribes of Israel and cleaned up. In Isaiah 48 and verse 10, "...behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." So God is going to put us through the furnace of affliction to clean us up. And at last, the Israelite tribes will be God's servant nation. Let's read about that. Isaiah 43, going through these rather quickly, but we want to cover as much as we can in the sermon. Isaiah 43 and verse 1, "...but now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name, you are mine." Yes, Israel is God's inheritance. They belong to God. God has a purpose in chapter 44 and verse 1. Here now, O Jacob, my servant. Israel is to be a servant nation. Israel, whom I have chosen, thus says the Lord, who made you and formed you from the womb. I will help you, fear not, O Jacob, my servant. Verse 21 says, "...remember these, O Jacob, in Israel, for you are my servant. I have formed you. You are my servant, O Israel. You will not be forgotten by me." So this is very encouraging for our country. This gives us hope. God is going to clean us up, and He is going to use Israel as a servant to the other nations. Our booklet, which certainly I recommend highly, that last chapter from punishment to destiny, United States and Britain in Bible prophecy, brings this out, that God is going to use the Israelite tribes to fulfill that purpose for which He chose them in the first place.

And let's go to Isaiah 27 and verse 6.

The earth is going to be filled with good fruit. Today we're filling the earth with a lot of bad fruit, actually. Bad movies, bad music, American cultures around the world, but it's not good.

It's not a godly thing that we have taken to other nations. Quite ungodly in many ways.

Isaiah 27 and verse 6, those who come, He shall cause to take root in Jacob. Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the earth with fruit. And it's going to be righteous fruit.

It's going to be an example of keeping God's laws and God's way of life. Can we imagine that?

Are our people at last really exemplifying the scriptures and God's way of life?

That time is coming. Isaiah, in these scriptures, talks about it.

Well, Isaiah prophesied some wonderful prophecies. As we read in these quotes from Hallie's Handbook and Angus Bible Handbook, these of God's kingdom triumphing in the end, let's just read a few of those. Time is marching.

I don't have time to read all of them. We have about 15 more minutes, though. Let's see what we can read real quickly from Isaiah chapter 40 through 66 and wonderful prophecies. Let's begin in Isaiah chapter 40. Just look at these wonderful things that are going to happen. None of the other prophets have these prophecies that Isaiah wrote down so beautifully. These are the most beautiful passages and what they picture coming to pass on the earth and for mankind. Isaiah 40 in verse 1, comfort. Yes, comfort my people, says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended. Isn't that wonderful? Her iniquity is pardoned, for she is received from the Lord's hand double for her sins. In verse 5, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed at the coming of Christ. All flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. In verse 10, the Lord shall come with a strong hand. His arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who are with young. How beautiful! Isaiah 52.

Just going to read again a few of these passages. Isaiah 40 through 66 is a wonderful, it's called the second Isaiah by some, the second half. Some don't even think Isaiah wrote it, but it's quoted in the New Testament as being written down by Isaiah. We believe that all the book was written by Isaiah. Isaiah 52 in verse 1, Awake, Awake! Put on your strength, O Zion!

Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised, that is, the unconverted, the unclean, shall no longer come to you! Shake yourself from the dust, arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! Come out of that state of captivity that they were in. In verse 7, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news! That is the gospel, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns, your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord brings back Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has made bare his holy arm, and the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth, shall see the salvation of our God. So it's a wonderful thing that is being described here. We will not read right now, but we often turn to the last part of chapter 52, and then all of chapter 53, because that talks or describes the first coming of Jesus Christ and how He would be crucified, and He would bear our sins through His death. So Isaiah 52, the last part, and Isaiah 53, an insert you might say about the first coming of Jesus Christ. Let's go, though, to Isaiah 60.

Isaiah 60 and verse 1. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people, for the Lord will arise over you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Can the Gentile nations are going to look to Christ and His model nation in around Jerusalem? In chapter 61 and verse 1, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and console those who mourn in Zion. Again, the gospel message. Jesus quoted this in Luke chapter 4, one Sabbath day. It goes on this day to console those who mourn in Zion, verse 3, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. They may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. They shall rebuild the old ruins, raise up the former desolations, repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. So God's way of life is a good and holy and righteous way of life. Well, we could read more, but Isaiah writes so much about the wonderful world tomorrow, times of refreshing, times of restoration. You know, Isaiah has a personal message for us also, and for all of mankind, and it is a message of repentance.

Let's go back to chapter 1. There's actually a lot in Isaiah condemning the sins of the nation Israel and Judah. There's just a whole lot, and there's an appeal in Isaiah as well as the other prophets that the people turn to God, put away evil, and repent of evil. In Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 16, there's a national appeal, but we can apply this in a personal way as well.

Isaiah 1 and verse 16, wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, repurb the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow, come now and let us reason together, says the Lord. We can take this in a personal way. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. That was especially true of national Israel. They were being warned that God would let the sword come upon them. And the ten tribes did go in the captivity during the lifetime of Isaiah. Let's go to Isaiah 55.

God beckons to us all here in a very nice way. He beckons to us to turn to Him in His way of life.

Isaiah 55 and verse 1. Ho! So that's God beckoning to us. Ho! Everyone who thirsts, who is it that thirsts? All of mankind thirsts. All of mankind is looking for something.

So ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money, doesn't take money, no. Come and buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy?

Why do you spend your money and your life on things that do not really hit the spot?

Do not satisfy. Listen diligently to me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me. Hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. God beckons to us. He wants to enter a covenant with us. He wants us to forsake our way and seek His way. Who is it again that thirsts every human being?

And what do we thirst for? We yearn and we crave meaning and purpose in life, and only the truth of God can really satisfy. It really hits the spot.

In verses 6 through 9 we read, Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Yeah, God is beckoning to us. Here's a personal message to you and me beckoning us to enter that everlasting covenant with God.

So what a marvelous book this is. We have been able to cover just a little bit of it.

It's a good book to read and study. It has so much about the millennium, so much about the wonderful world tomorrow.

One interesting concluding note. Let's go to outside the book of Isaiah now, to Hebrews, the faith chapter. Is Isaiah mentioned in the faith chapter? It seems like he is.

Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 37. It's talking about in this chapter all the hardship that God's people down through the ages went through. In verse 35, women received their dead, others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

Others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, chains and imprisonment. God's people have not been very well received, have they? Verse 37 now, they were stoned. They were sown in two, tempted, slain by the sword, wondered about in sheepskins. Well, going back to that one that was sown in two. Who was that? The Jewish tradition says it was Isaiah.

Helly's Bible Handbook has this. A tradition in the Talmud, which was accepted as authentic by many, states that Isaiah resisted Manasseh's idolatrous decrees and was fastened between two planks and sown asunder, thus suffering a most horrible death.

This is thought to be referred to in Hebrews 11, verse 37. So was Isaiah sown in two?

It appears that he was. He would have been in the latter years of his life, maybe possibly 70 to 80 years of age. If it is talking about Isaiah here, he gave his life and the most horrible death. He lived for the kingdom of God, and he was martyred for the kingdom of God. And you know, it's the same for us today. Whether we live or die, we must be fully committed to the kingdom of God. Isaiah then, what a book. What a prophet.

I'd like to end with a quote from Pelubit's Bible dictionary.

It may be safely asserted that nowhere else in the literature of the world have so many colossally great ideas been brought together within the limits of a single work in literary form the world has produced nothing greater than Isaiah. Visions of the final triumph of the kingdom of God. The complete fulfillment will be realized when the kingdom of God has come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.