Verse 18 brings up this idea of global evangelism at the Lord's return, who have not heard my fame nor seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Isaiah.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Now here's Pastor Rick in Isaiah chapter 66 with the conclusion of his message called Choices Count. We have seen Israel put back in her land, which this verse is talking about the Jewish people being established before their Messiah. Can you imagine being in a concentration camp, being in one of the Nazi concentration camps as a Jew?
Could you imagine even picturing this coming true? You would think the whole Bible was false, and many of them did. Many Jews became atheists during those days, and they write about it, so it's not like it's not just, you know, my opinion.
There's evidence for that. These verses, 6 through 9, they show that anything is possible with God according to what God wants. The painless birth referenced here goes back to Eden, and it is pointing to a future time when that part of the curse will be removed also. It uses that language to just keep, and we know we've covered that the curse will not be as enforced during the millennial kingdom as it is now. Verse 9, shall I bring to the time of birth and not cause delivery, says Yahweh.
Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb, says the Lord? Of course, he's rhetorical, and he is saying, I'm going to finish this. I'm going to deliver my people. I'm going to establish my nation. I'm not going to get halfway there and fail. It's going to happen. And the Arab world, of course, when on May 14th, 1948, when the United Nations said, okay, Israel, you're now a nation among the nations, the Arab world ganged up on Israel, but not only did they, they could not gain a single step, they lost a lot.
And then they tried it again in 65, and again, and each time they're beaten back. Antichrist, he will also come after them, but he will ultimately be stopped. Verse 10, rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her. All you who love her, rejoice for joy with her.
All you who mourn for her. Now, I don't know how many Gentiles in the days of Isaiah would have been in that category, but I know today there's many Christians that have a heart for Israel. And, you know, this is a far reaching, I don't know if prophecy is the right word, application of prophecy might be a better way to approach it. There Isaiah sort of looks into the future because there again are multitudes of Christians that love the Jewish people because of the seal God has placed on them as a people.
That never condones the individual Jew who is sinning, but as a people is a different thing. Verse 11, that you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. Verse 12, for thus says Yahweh. Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.
Then you shall feed. On her sides shall you be carried and dandled on her knees. Verse 13, and as one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. So, in a nutshell, the loving care of a mother is upon the nation of Israel from God, matching the metaphor of birth in verses seven through nine. And it is a blessing to come for the Jewish people that God is saying. If you've ever had a chance to witness to a Jewish person, they can either just shut you down right away and won't hear anything, or they can engage you and you find out just how ignorant of their own Bibles they are, how much more you know about their Jewish Bible than they do.
And that can be exciting, but the bottom line is you want that the bottom line is you want that conversion right then and there. Verse 14, when you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bones shall flourish like grass. The hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants and his indignation on his enemies.
Of course, this is future. And so now he goes and fills that in, this part about the enemies. For behold, Yahweh will come with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire.
Well, I don't want to be on the receiving end of that. So, joy to the friend of God, wrath to his enemies, a simple meaning. As close as Elijah-esque going up in a chariot of fire.
In Revelation 19, the saints following Jesus in this picture of just us just pouring out of heaven, but there are no mention of chariots. You know, there's no contradiction there, just interesting. You can't wait to see that saying, I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe this is happening. You're going to be saying to yourself the whole time.
Or do you find that you're just going to be very casual about the whole deal? Anyway, it has never been enough to be just religious and that's part of what he's pouring out here. There are consequences to making wrong choices in religion. Isaiah 13 verse 9, behold a day of Yahweh comes, cruel, and it's what it means. Well, and it's, you know, if you're watching it, with both wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate and he will destroy its sinners from it. Well, it's said about Dwight Moody by someone else that Moody was the one to preach on hell because he was the one that when he preached on hell, he would tear up, he'd weep. Well, if that is true, and he was genuine, which I believe he was, and I believe this anecdote is true, it's because he was totally in touch with what the Lord said in the word.
He believed it. He believed it'd be a fierce judgment on the wicked and maybe that's why God used Moody so, so much. Anyway, verse 16, for by fire and by his sword the Lord will judge all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
Of course, the all is all the enemies in the context of what's being said. Well, all will be judged but not with the sword and this singles out the apostates in Isaiah's day. This is one of the reasons why the prophets always were so, you know, Israel-centric because that's all they knew. They didn't know about the church and so, yeah, you know, you could read the Old Testament and say, boy, where do we come in? Well, we come in in the, you know, the feast of Pentecost, you know, the feast of first fruits.
We're in there, but it's just not very developed until you get to the New Testament and then by the time you get to the New Testament and as Acts begins to move past chapter 12, the Jews sort of come out of the picture and the Gentiles are now in the lead but then, you know, having the Old Testament still we know that the Jews are never out of his sight. Well, the fire and the sword, severe aspects of divine intervention and judgment. Jesus, when he said don't think I come to bring peace but a sword, well, this is the final judgment. If there is no judgment to come, then it follows by logic that there's no final accountability.
See, this is a logical approach to Scripture and God's judgment. Well, if there's no accountability, it doesn't matter what I do. I should never be judged for it. I'll never answer for it. All people know innately that that's not right and if you do harm to them, it comes out. You know, you can steal from their neighbor, you just can't steal from them.
One example. And so there is an accountability. No society can function without falling into anarchy if there is no rule. And of course, the kingdom of heaven will be under the rule of God Almighty. Psalm 145 verse 20. The Lord preserves all who love him, but the wicked he will destroy.
Nothing out of there is out of line with New Testament theology. Verse 17. Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves to go to the gardens after an idol in the midst eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the mouse shall be consumed together says the Lord. Now who's got mice recipes?
What is that about? You know, that's probably the only time you read in the Bible somebody eating mice. I love these mises to pieces, I guess it comes out to me. But that's what they're probably making stew and broths out of them, I guess. I mean, because really, they're worth the effort. Who can even catch that many of them? What about the shrews?
Are they mice? Anyway. So those who sanctify themselves, back to that the Pharisee, you know, I'm so special. But this group here, they're going through religious acts in the act of idolatry. That's the little difference there. The Pharisees, they were not idolatrists in the purest sense of the word.
They had other issues that just turned out bad too. Verse 18. For I know their works and their thoughts and it shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory. Well, wait. After purging the wicked from the earth on his return, there's global evangelism?
That's what he just said. I know their works and their thoughts, that's the evil ones. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory. This is beyond Acts chapter 2. Proverbs 15, the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who follows righteousness. And so there in that verse, you have things that God hates and things that God delights in. That's another good study to do, the delights of the Lord. Verse 19.
This is more to this story. So remember verse 18 brings up this idea of global evangelism at the Lord's return. I will set a sign among them and those among them who escaped I will send to the nations, verse 19, to Tarshish, to Pol, to Lud who draw the bow and Tubal and Javan to the coast lands afar off who have not heard my fame nor seen my glory and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. Well this is after the tribulation. Tribulation survivors who have not heard the gospel.
There are people in places like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tabikistan, all of these stand places you can't even start making names up about and put stand at the end and nobody will know you're making it up. Just millions of people out there, you know countries like North Korea where people have never heard the gospel. Well when Christ comes back he's going to separate the sheep from the goats but evidently there's a process after the radical judgments on his return. And so again don't be one of those who filters the Bible through some doctrine.
Instead filter the doctrine through the Bible. This is what it's teaching and God makes it clear that he will send out save Jews as his messengers to nations all over the world. He's not finished with this though but before I move on Tarshish is to the west of Israel. South will be Pol and Lud, North will be Tubal and Javan and the coastlands everywhere else. And remember the thing about the coastlands trade routes so you reach everything.
So if you reach the coastlands you reach the trade routes and if you reach the trade routes then it's just going to move through. Verse 20, and the people in those days knew that. Verse 20, then they shall bring your brethren for an offering to Yahweh out of all nations.
See this is end times. On horses and chariots and in litters on mules and on camels to my holy mountain Jerusalem says Yahweh as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of Yahweh. Now you can't be too strict whether it's going to really be camels and mules and horses well I mean he didn't what was he going to say pick up trucks and you know say 18 wheelers as you know buses of course that's what he that was their modes of transportation the language he had and we don't get we don't have to get hung up in that we understand they'll be pouring back into Jerusalem. They shall bring your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations so when Christ returns the Jews will make their way to the promised land surviving Jews not been to the promised land will make their way there. Gentiles this verse is teaching us will joyfully go out of their way as an offering to the Lord to help the Jews get back to Jerusalem and Isaiah 43 6, Isaiah 49 22 are two other verses that bear witness to these things. So Isaiah is saying a time's coming when God will bring all of his people back to Jerusalem and when in these latter days the Jews will go out and they will preach to Gentiles and Gentiles will get saved and the Gentiles will be helping the Jews get back to Jerusalem where they Israel Israel where they want to live because there'll still be an economy they'll not magic is not going to start you know you're just not going to have magic and magically go to Israel people still have to travel there and they'll have to pay for that because there'll still be economy an economy in place there'll be commerce and you know people won't jump turnstiles to get on a train they'll pay their way but they're going to have to pay nonetheless so anyway verse 21 and I will also take some of them for priests and Levites says the Lord he's going to take Gentiles and have them be priestly well this is against mosaic law only the Aaronites descendants of Aaron could be priests only descendants of Levi when Aaron was part of Levi too could be Levites well in the millennial reign the Gentiles are going to have equal privilege in terms as set by the Lord there'll be some Gentiles that just will want to do this and there'll be others that know I kind of like where I'm at over here so and that that's going to be fine verse 22 again there's so many parts of the puzzle give us a clear enough picture to understand or to rule out certain things and to though cloudy rule in certain other things but then there are other parts that are very clear verse 22 now for as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me says Yahweh so shall your descendants and your name remain well through the millennial age Israel retains her identity as Israel as opposed to retaining her name in the new heavens and new heavens and new earth oh it's a little confusing right so not that they will go into the new heavens and a new earth as Israel but through the whole millennial reign they will be known this way and as sure as there will be a new heavens and a new earth they can be sure that they will retain their identity as Jews in the kingdom age and remember we have more information than Isaiah had a Jew reading this I might not know all that's going on but this is nice nothing in this is foreboding nothing in this is condemning to the righteous Jew God has a plan for me and for the righteous remnant verse 23 and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before me says the Lord yeah every knee will bow and every tongue will confess those part of the purging will not be able to deny the Lord and they will be dealt with but the righteous survivors into the kingdom age they're going to want to worship the Lord the Jews are the people of the new moon and the Sabbaths the new moon marked a new month for the Jew Saturdays was beginning of their week their feast will continue and they will be uncorrupted so actually the Sabbath ended their week and it will be still a part of the ritual going into the kingdom age but it's important to remember these rituals were shadows of messiah and his work he is the eternal substance and that is fulfilled but there's a lot of education going to be given out I don't know what God's going to do with the language barriers he'll have things to work that out Colossians 2 so let no one judge you in food or drink or regarding festival or new moon or Sabbaths have you ever met a Christian that tries to sneak in these things well I'm we're dieting like they did in eden you weren't in eden and nobody else you don't know anybody that's been to eden so you know you don't know what you're talking about well I'm eating all vegetables those vegetables are probably gone anyway I don't know this says it right here don't do that they do it he says so let no one judge you in food or drink regarding festival or new moon or Sabbaths which are a shadow of things to come but the substances of Christ and so that's my earlier statement these were shadows of messiah and his work and we're not bound to these things and they're going to be memorials that will be you know quite pleasant like almost like Christmas you know it would be like this a celebrate festival time not this you know like the world we're in verse 24 and they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against me for their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh now that's how he ends his prophecy and the jews to this day I am told in synagogues when they finish the reading of isaiah verse 24 they go back and read verse 23 because they don't want to exit on a bad note that is not good is not good what is the last book of of our old testament what's the last word in your old testament curse it says malachi that's uh lest I come strike the earth with a curse you have god is saying look I don't have time for this you know seeker friendly stuff it's not seeker friendly to lie to people it's not seeker friendly to say you know I'm I'm going to bring a gift because I love you and you're doing this egregious sin no that's not the way to do it you want to help an unbeliever don't lie to them about what god has to say give it to them oh anyway this verse 24 the carnage coming out of armageddon for their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched our lord of course applied these words also to hell but you know eternal judgment but the literalness of this verse in the kingdom age cannot be taken too strongly and the reason for that is because the carcass doesn't preserve I think the teaching here is there's going to either be a cemetery in sight or some monument that captures the warning of rebellion against god otherwise you just have this you know pile of corpses out there and how long does you know just to get a little bit grotesque and knowing how the prophet you know presents things through his writings it's not a stretch to me at all to say well that's more than likely a monument against rebellion in the book of Joshua he put monuments everywhere and so did the two and a half tribes across Jordan and that almost caused a civil war but they they fixed it anyway the last declaration of Isaiah's great prophecy is one of judgment of god upon evil and his warnings were not words of a cold-hearted man not at all his passion his righteousness there is indignation to evil he experienced evil firsthand and but there's also heartache in the midst of it but there's a sternness that's inescapable and so in this way he is true to his calling he has delivered the message handed to him going back to acts chapter 9 who will I send and who shall go for us and Isaiah said here I am send me and so he is sent god told him I need you to tell the people that there's a train wreck coming and they're on the train and so he lays out in detail and essentially tells all the Jewish people it's your choice you follow Yahweh or you don't and if you don't you're going to be part of that pile of corpses so we close with Isaiah 6 verse 9 and he said go and tell god this is Isaiah's calling this is his assignment and this is what he did god speaking to him said go and tell this people keep on hearing but do not understand keep on seeing but do not perceive and well he did that well that finishes our study through Isaiah our father thank you for your word thank you for at the very least stirring us to ponder these great truths and words and may we lord learn to hold on to our convictions without becoming self-righteous in jesus name amen thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio today cross reference radio is a ministry of pastor rick gaston of calvary chapel mechanicsville in virginia if you'd like to learn more about this ministry we invite you to visit our website crossreferenceradio.com you'll find a number of teachings from pastor rick available there we also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast when you subscribe you'll be notified of new editions of cross reference radio just search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app you can also follow the links at crossreference radio.com we're glad we were able to spend time with you today tune in next time to continue learning from the book of isaiah with pastor rick right here on cross reference radio
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