(Through the Bible) Isaiah 6-10 — Chuck Smith

Isaiah’s Commission and the Empty Throne

Shall we turn now in our Bibles to Isaiah chapter 6 as Isaiah records for us his commissioning by God for his ministry. Now you remember in chapter 1 that Isaiah tells us that his time of prophecy extended through the kingdom or through the kings of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.

As we pointed out it is thought that he was put to death by the evil son of Hezekiah, Manasseh. But his call to his ministry as a prophet is given to us in chapter 6 and it so happened that it came in the year that King Uzziah died.

I saw also the Lord sitting upon the throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple. Uzziah was a very popular king. He had reigned over Israel for 52 years. He began his reign when he was just 16 years old.

Under his reign the nation and actually I say Israel but it was the southern kingdom of Judah over which he was reigning and during this period Judah had great military advancement and great prosperity.

They developed a great water system, enlarged their agricultural area. They enlarged their territory by moving into the territory of the Philistines, something that they weren't able to do prior to this under the other kings.

He tore down the walls of Gath and of Ashdod, the great Philistine strongholds. He planted settlements in the Philistine territory. He had a very strong and powerful standing army of 310 ,000 men. They set their scientists at work building new types of war weapons for those days, great slings to throw huge stones and to shoot arrows and so forth.

And he overall strengthened the nation mightily so that the people felt very secure and very comfortable during the reign of Uzziah. He was a popular man. The name of Uzziah spread abroad throughout all the land even to the going down to Egypt.

Everybody heard of him. Not only that, everybody was talking about him and the name Uzziah was on the lips of all the people. And very importantly we read, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

He was a prosperous king. He was a popular king. The kind of a man that you have great confidence in because of his accomplishments. And so the people had great confidence in Uzziah. They had come to trust in him and rely upon him.

Perhaps too much so, as is often the case with a good popular leader. People begin to rely upon them too much and you get your eyes on to man and off of the Lord. And you begin to put your trust in man rather than in the Lord.

And so many times it is necessary when that becomes the case that in order that we might get our eyes back on the Lord, God has to remove the man. And oftentimes God does take that man that you've been relying on and trusting him and removes him out of the scene in order that you might get your eyes upon God.

Such was the case with Uzziah. And so it is very significant that Isaiah would say, in the year the king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. Prior to that, his eyes were on Uzziah. Prior to that, his trust was in Uzziah.

He was a good popular king. Things are going well. Things are prosperous. You don't, it seems, unfortunately, think about the Lord so much in prosperity. It's when all of a sudden calamity strikes. The throne is empty.

What are we going to do? Uzziah's son is not the same as his dad. He's surely not capable as was his father. The northern kingdom is going down the tubes. Anarchy is reigning, actually. One king after another is being assassinated.

And there is confusion. And they're in danger of being wiped out. What are we going to do? Uzziah is dead. The throne is empty. But Isaiah received a vision, a vision of the Lord in which he realized the throne is not empty.

In the year king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on the throne, high and lifted up, and his train did fill the temple. So, God having removed his idol, Isaiah got his eyes now upon the Lord, and he sees that the throne is not vacated, that God is upon the throne.

Oh, how important it is for us to realize that God is on the throne, that God is ruling over the affairs of our lives, and God is ruling over the affairs of the world. We are prone to tremble when we see the world conditions.

As you just look at the things that are happening in the world today, it's enough to scare any sane man and give him a heart attack. But if you look beyond and realize, hey, God is ruling, God is in control, then I can rest, I can sleep at night, only because I know that God is in control.

I know that God is sitting upon the throne. So important that we realize that God is upon the throne in our lives. God rules, God reigns. That's the important thing. So, because God does reign, whatever does come upon my path is there because God has allowed it to come upon my path.

The Lord reigns. And it is so important that we have this as a mental concept constantly. God reigns. Now, he describes the throne of God. He sees the seraphim that are above the throne of God, and he describes the seraphim.

Now, we are told that there are also cherubim around the throne of God, and these are angelic beings, and evidently there is a great similarity between the cherubims and the seraphims. Now, in Ezekiel, he also, and we'll be getting to that soon, he also had a vision of the throne of God in chapters 1 and chapters 10, and he described the cherubim, other angelic beings that are around the throne of God.

In John chapter 4, he had a vision of the throne of God, and he saw the glassy sea in front of the throne, he saw the emerald around the throne of God, and then he also saw these living creatures, whether the seraphim or the cherubim that John describes, we do not know.

But basically, their ministry is that of just worshiping and leading the worship of God around his throne. As the cherubim or the creatures in Revelation cry, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which is, which was, which is to come, so here the seraphim, they are described as having six wings.

With two of them, they cover their face, with two of them, they cover their feet, and they use two of them to fly. Interesting-looking creatures to be sure. They are not, though, to be mistaken as birds or some kind of an animal, because they are highly intelligent creatures.

And one cries to another and says, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory, declaring the glory of God and the holiness of God. And the post of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

The Heavenly Throne in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Revelation

And so he describes the heavenly scene, even as John describes the heavenly scene in Revelation chapter four and five, and even as Ezekiel describes it in chapter one and ten. Now, I would recommend these chapters as important reading for any serious child of God, because he is describing something that you're going to be seeing before very long.

Events that you're going to be watching. And if you don't read about them and know what's going on, then you're going to look like some hick when you get to heaven. Mouth open, duh, woo, you know. And everybody will know you didn't do your homework.

So these are interesting portions to study, so that when you get there and the whole thing is coming down and the cherubim are saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which is, which was, which is to come, then you can say, all right, now watch those twenty-four guys.

Watch them. They're going to take their crowns and throw them on that glassy sea. Watch this now, you know, and you'll be able to replay it. Cool, because you know, you know, the sequence of the worship there about the throne of God.

So I highly recommend the reading of these portions where the throne of God is described. Always with each description there is that awesomeness of God, the creator of the universe, as he sits upon his throne, as he rules and reigns over the universe, and that worship and acknowledgement of him about the throne.

Seeing Sin in the Light of God

Isaiah had the vision of the throne of God. Then said I, woe is me, because now he sees himself in a whole new light. Up till now he had been looking at himself in the dim light of the world in which he lived.

And in the dim light of the world around us, we don't look too bad. In fact, we look pretty good. But I'll tell you, be careful of looking at yourself in a mirror in the sunshine. Nothing is hidden. I mean, looking at yourself in that light is a whole different story.

And so looking at ourselves in the light of God is a whole different story. I don't know, I don't know, of a single man who has had a true vision of God, who didn't more or less with Isaiah say, oh, woe is me.

When Peter realized it was Lord, he said, depart from me, Lord, I'm a sinful man. When Daniel describes his vision of God and all, he said, my beauty turned into ugliness. Seeing God, we see ourselves in the true light, and no man can be proud.

You see a man who is proud, you see a man who has not yet seen God. Jesus in the Beatitudes, in his great manifesto in Matthew five, six and seven began the Beatitudes. In fact, he began the whole sermon by saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Now he begins a sevenfold description of the Christian in these Beatitudes, the characteristics that mark a Christian. But the first characteristic is poor in spirit. From whence comes this poverty of spirit?

It comes when I see God. That's the beginning of my walk with God. My vision of God begins my walk with him. And in the vision of God, seeing God, I see myself. And as I see myself, I say, hey, woe is me.

I'm nothing. Poverty of spirit. Blessed are they which mourn the next characteristic, for they shall be comforted. My poverty of spirit leads me to weeping over my condition. How could I do those things?

How could I have done that? And I see myself now in God's light and oh, what a revelation that is. Then said I, woe is me, for I am undone. I'm crooked. And I dwell amongst, and I have unclean lips and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips.

So you saw one of the seraphims then that flew. And with his tongs, he took a glowing coal from off the altar. Now, the study of the tabernacle is extremely interesting because the tabernacle is a model of heaven and the throne of God.

And so if you want to really know what heaven is going to look like, that is the throne of God area of heaven, you can study the tabernacle. And there you have a little model. And God said to Moses, make sure that you make it according to the specifications.

Why? Because it's a model of heavenly things. So even in the earthly tabernacle, they had the altar with the coals. So there in heaven is an altar with coals. And one of the seraphims went to the altar with tongs, took these coals, and he brought it to Isaiah.

And he touched his lips with that glowing coal. And he said, your iniquity is taken away, or your crookedness is taken away. He has cried, woe is me, for I am crooked. Your crookedness is taken away. And your sin is cleansed.

I'm a man of unclean lips. Your sin is purged, he said, or cleansed. So the cleansing by the work of God. Notice it wasn't Isaiah's work. It was God's work. Isaiah's was the recognition of his condition.

God's work was that of the cleansing. Then once he recognized his condition, all God wants you to do is acknowledge your condition. He doesn't ask you even to reform that comes, but he asked you to just acknowledge, to confess.

If thou shall confess thy sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. But you've got to confess your sin. Woe is me. I'm undone. I'm dwelling amongst the people of unclean lips.

I have unclean lips. Your crookedness is taken away. Your uncleanness, your sin is cleansed. What a glorious thing, the work of God. And it comes immediately upon my acknowledgement and confession. David, in the 32nd Psalm, begins the psalm, Oh, how happy is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

And before I confess my sin, hey, I was just dried up inside. It was like the drought of summer. I was so dry and parched. My bones were aching for the hand of God was heavy on me. Then I said, I will confess my sin unto the Lord and thou forgave us my sin.

Just before he got the words out of his mouth, the minute in his heart, he said, Oh, I'm so horrible. I'm just going to confess. I'm In that moment, the cleansing and the forgiveness came. And that's just how anxious God is to cleanse and forgive you.

The moment in your heart, you say, God, I have sinned. I'm sorry. Woe is me. I'm crooked. My lips are unclean. Just that quick. The seraphim came and said, Hey, your crookedness is taken away. Your sin is cleansed.

Oh, the beautiful work of God's grace and the forgiveness in his love for all the ask is you just confess and he is willing and wanting to wash and cleanse you from all your sins. But that isn't the end of it.

From Cleansing to Christian Service

God does want to work in your life. God will work in your life if you give him the opportunity, but God never stops there. God wants to work through your life. There is a needy world out there. It's in darkness.

You are dwelling in the midst of people of unclean lips and they need to know that God will wash and cleanse them also. And so the work of God in your life always ends up objectively. First of all, subjective, what God can do for you, but then what God can do through you to touch others.

And that's what it's all about. So I saw God. When I saw God, I said, woe is me. When he heard them declare holy, holy, holy, declaring the holiness of God, then you see yourself. I am. Woe is me. I'm crooked.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall we send? Who will go for us? Then said I, now he's speaking again, but now this is a different, this is a man who has now been cleansed. This is a man whose life has been touched by the fire of God.

And he said, who shall we send? Then said, I hear my Lord send me. Once God has touched your life, then God wants to use your life to touch others. God has a work that he wants to do. And the problem is always who will go for us?

Whom will we send? Jesus said, behold, the fields are white and to harvest, but the laborers are few. Who will go for us? Whom shall we send? And the man whose life has been touched by God becomes then an available instrument for God.

Here am I Lord send me in his commission. And so God said to him, go and tell this people. Now at this time, Judah was on the road down. They had forsaken the living God. Idol worship have been introduced.

There were times of spiritual reform, but they were usually surface. They never got into the real heart of the nation itself. And yet God wasn't going to just let them be destroyed without still a witness, but they weren't going to really listen to the witness, but still God was going to be faithful and witness to them anyhow.

And that is to me, an interesting thing about God, even though a person isn't going to respond, even though a person won't listen yet, God will still give them the chance. God will still speak to them.

He doesn't cease talking. And so he said, go tell this people. You may hear indeed, but you don't understand. You may see indeed, but you're really not seeing. You don't perceive. And so God said, make the heart of the people fat.

That is, give them the word, give them the message of God that they'll have no excuse. Their ears heavy, just hang the message on them and shut their eyes. Lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and be healed.

Isaiah responded to the Lord, how long? And he answered until the cities are wasted without inhabitant and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate. Now God was going to continue to preach to these people and continue to warn these people and continue to give them opportunity until the whole land was desolate.

So the last one was left. God will continue his witness, even as God will continue his witness to the world today and is bearing witness to the world today. But the world today isn't listening. They're making fun of the witness of God, but still we are to witness.

God will not leave himself without a witness. All the political cartoonists on the editorial pages are having a field day with a moral majority and with creation and evolution. I saw on Daily Pilot today in the editorial page, a cartoon of some big fat slob saying to his little son who's coming home from school with his books, God made me in his own image, you know, and after his likeness, I didn't evolve.

And it's just dispersion that is cast against God really. And still we're to preach, still we're to bear witness, still we're to warn. Though they don't listen, though they don't see, though their hearts are heavy, though their eyes are blinded.

Still, God wants a witness left with him until the place is desolate. There's nothing left. God will bear witness. Now the church is the instrument by which God is bearing his witness to the world today, but the church will soon be taken up.

The witness of the church is just about over. Once the church is taken out, it doesn't mean God's witness is over. Just the witness of the church is over. God's going to send two witnesses, powerful witnesses with all kinds of power, and he's sending them to Jerusalem.

God will also seal 144 ,000 of the Jews that will be witnesses for him during these dark, dark, dark hours that are coming upon the earth. And then God is even going to send angels flying through the midst of heaven, orbiting the earth, bearing witness and preaching the everlasting gospel and warning men not to take the mark of the beast.

Even down to the end, even by angelic beings, God is going to keep his witness going until the whole place is desolate, left without an inhabitant. For God is faithful in bearing his witness to the people.

And so how long, Lord? Until the whole thing is over. And so the witnesses, God had his witnesses, his prophets who were warning the people right up until and through the time that Nebuchadnezzar carried off the first captives.

Jeremiah was still there bearing witness to the people, trying to repent and return to God and get right with God. And the Lord has removed people far away and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

But yet it shall be that a tenth will return and shall be eaten as a teal tree and an oak whose substance is in them. When they cast their leaves, so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. In other words, an oak tree casts its leaves.

It looks like it's dead, but yet it comes back. A teal tree looks like it's so dead, but yet it comes back. So it will look like the nation Israel is dead. It will appear that way, but yet God said, I'll bring them back.

A tenth part. Only one in ten will return, but I will bring them back. And so God's promise of bringing the people back from the captivity. Now Uzziah is dead and his grandson Ahaz is reigning. It came to pass in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah.

Isaiah’s Prophecy to Ahaz

That Rezzan was the king of Syria and Pekah was the son of Ramaleah, the king of Israel. So Pekah was ruling in Israel. He had assassinated the previous king. And Syria and Israel, the northern kingdom, had confederated together to attack Judah.

And the king of the southern kingdom. And so they came up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David saying, Syria has confederated with Ephraim.

And his heart was moved in the heart of the people as the trees of the water moved with the wind. In other words, they began to tremble because they said, oh, there's a confederacy. Those two nations are coming against us.

No. What are we going to do? Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shir-Jazab. Now Shir-Jazab means a remnant shall return. Shir-Haz, and that was the name of his son, Shir-Jazab.

Quite a name for a boy, but he's got one with a better name. Mala-Shallah-Hazbaz. It's quite a tag to put on a kid, isn't it? And meet them at the conduit, the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway that is the fuller's field and say unto him, take heed and be quiet.

Fear not, neither be faint hearted for the two tales of these smoking firebrands for the fierce anger of resin. And because of the son of Ramalaya or Pekka, because don't be afraid, don't be faint hearted.

Just be quiet before God because Syria and Ephraim have taken evil counsel against the saying, let's go up to Judah and vex it. Let's make a breach there in for us and set a king in the midst of it. Even the son of Tabeo, thus sayeth the Lord God, it shall not stand.

Their Confederacy isn't going to stand. Neither shall it come to pass for the head of Syria is Damascus. The head of Damascus is resin, who was the king. And within 65 years, Ephraim will be broken that it be not a people.

So the Northern kingdom of Israel, of which Ephraim was the chief pride tribe in 65 years, they are not going to exist any longer. And sure enough, within 65 years, the Assyrians destroyed them. The head of Ephraim is Samaria.

That was the capital city of the Northern kingdom. And the head of Samaria is Ramalaya son, which was Pekka. If you will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. Now, just don't be afraid. Don't be faint hearted.

God's going to take care of it. The Confederacy that they've made against you isn't going to stand. God's going to break it. Moreover, the Lord's fake again into a has saying, ask a sign of the Lord thy God.

Ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But he has said, I will not ask. Neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Here you know, O House of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men?

But will ye weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good.

For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good. The land that you abhor shall be forsaken of both of her kings. So these kings resident Pekka are going to be wiped out. Now, herein is where the prophets wrote as they were inspired of the Holy Spirit, but did not understand the things that they were writing about and how that he was writing of a local instance.

But yet it had a prophetic aspect towards the future and much of prophecy has a twofold interpretation. They call it the near and the far, and this is true of much prophecy. In fact, it says that these men wrote of things that they did not understand earnestly.

They desired to know these things of which they wrote, but they really didn't understand it, but they were writing inspired of the Holy Spirit and in the near prophecy, a child was to be born or before a child born at that period was old enough to know evil, to choose good or the age of accountability, 12, 13 years old, or what are you saying?

Within 12 or 13 years, both Pekka and resin are going to get wiped out. They'll no longer be reigning over Syria and over Samaria within 12 or 13 years, but the prophecy in its long-term was a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ.

In that, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. We know that that is a prophecy of Jesus Christ because it is interpreted by the Holy Spirit in Matthew's gospel chapter one, verse 23 as a prophecy.

When it speaks there of how Mary and Joseph were going to be baptized and Joseph were gay engaged, but before they had had relations, Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit that it might be fulfilled according to the word of the prophet saying, behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel.

So Matthew's gospel as Matthew writing by the Holy Spirit interprets this passage of scripture. He interprets it to be a prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Now, the Hebrew scholar Genesis, who has written a Hebrew lexicon and is recognized as one of the outstanding Hebrew scholars, has suggested that the Hebrew word here translated virgin should be translated a young maiden.

You know why he suggests that? Because he said he doesn't believe in miracles and it would be a miracle for a virgin to have a child. And so that's why he said and that's why he translates this young maiden.

And of course, Revised Standard and a lot of the new translations pick up the unbelief of Genesis and translate this a young maiden shall conceive. Well, what's so much of a sign about that? That happens every day.

It takes away the whole thrust of the scripture. But a virgin shall conceive the Greek word that was translated by these 70 scholars who translated the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament 200 years before Christ.

They chose to translate this Hebrew word with a Greek word that can only mean virgin and that God intended virgin is obvious because of Mary. Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God is with us.

Beautiful name. God is with us. So that is the far interpretation of this prophecy. The near was that within 12 years, a child born now within 12 years, by the time he's age of accountability, knows good from evil.

Both these kings that have conspired against you will be wiped out. And that was true. Now he does predict the impending invasion of Judah. The Lord shall bring upon thee and upon thy people and upon thy father's house.

He remember he's talking to a has the king days that have not come upon the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Assyria. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt and for the B that is in the land of Assyria.

And they shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys and in the holes of the rocks and upon the thorns and upon all the bushes. And in the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely those that are beyond the river by the king of the Assyria, the head and the hair of his feet, and he shall consume the beard.

Now what God is talking about is that God is going to raise up another kingdom and that is the kingdom of Assyria and Assyria is going to invade and wipe out Syria. Assyria was over a little further north and east from Syria.

And so sometimes people get confused with Syria and Assyria. Syria is going to be destroyed here. They are planning an invasion, but Syria will be destroyed by Assyria and God is going to bring Egypt up in an invasion within the land.

And it should come to pass in that day that a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep. And he speaks of the abundance of milk that they shall give, actually, because there's not very many people left around.

The land, the tilled land is turned into briars and thorns and all of the hills will be digged with a mattock and there shall not come thither the fear of briars and thorns, but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, the treading of the lesser cattle.

Assyria’s Invasion and the Sign of Immanuel

So in chapter eight, he continues in this prediction of the Assyrian invasion. Moreover, the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll and write it with a man's pen concerning Maharshalahazvaz. And that is interpreted, it's a Hebrew word that means, or words that mean hasty, hasty to the spoil.

Quite a name. And I took me a faithful witness to record, Uriah the priest and Zachariah. And I went unto the prophetess, that is his wife, and she conceived and she bore a son. Then said the Lord unto me, call his name Maharshalahazvaz.

For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, my father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria. So he went out to his wife and she conceived and bore a son.

God said, call him Maharshalahazvaz. Because before this kid is three years old, can say mama and daddy. Syria is going to get wiped out by Assyria. The Damascus will be overrun by the Assyrians. The Lord speaking to me also saying, for as much as this people refuse the waters of Shiloah that go softly and they rejoice in Rezin and in Ramaliah's son who is Pekah.

Now therefore behold the Lord bring upon them the waters of the river strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all of his glory. And he shall come up over all of his channels and go over all the banks.

So speaking figuratively is going to be like a flood. Assyrians are going to come and they're going to take both Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel, which indeed did happen. And he will pass through Judah and shall overflow and go over and shall reach even to the neck, to the stretching out of the wings.

And he shall fulfill the breadth of the land. Oh, Emmanuel associate yourselves all you people and you shall be broken to pieces. Give here all of you far countries and gird yourselves and you shall be broken in pieces, gird yourselves and you shall be broken in pieces.

Take counsel together. It shall come to nothing. Speak the word and it shall not stand for God is with us. So he is challenging. Now this Confederacy, you think that you're going to join together and wipe out God's people, not going to make it.

God isn't going to let it stand for God is with us. For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of the people saying, say ye not a Confederacy to all of those to whom this people shall say a Confederacy, neither fear ye nor be afraid.

The idea of two nations getting together to fight against one was an awesome thing indeed. And so that word, Oh, there's a Confederacy just really struck terror into the hearts of the people really was wiping them out.

And so the Lord said, Hey, just, you know, forget that stuff because it's not going to stand. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself. Let him be your fear. Let him be your dread. Don't be afraid of what man can do or what a Confederacy might do.

You better be afraid of what God is going to do. Jesus said, don't be fear those who can kill your body. And after that have no power, but rather fear him who after the body is dead, is able to cast both soul and spirit into hell.

Yes. And you fear you him for God shall be for a sanctuary, but for a, and he shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a gen or a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Now here again is one of those prophecies that suddenly just flashes the flash of the Messiah again, even as Jesus became a stumbling stone to the Jew, a rock of offense. And Paul, the apostle refers how that Jesus, we preach unto you Christ crucified to the Jew, a stumbling stone to the Greek foolishness, but unto us who are saved the power of God unto salvation.

So Christ became a stumbling stone to the Jew. And even as it is prophesied here and many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken, bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

And I will wait upon the Lord that hides his face from the house of Jacob. And I will look for him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given to me are for signs. Now this is Isaiah. He and his children, their names, especially were to be for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwells in Mount Zion.

And when they shall say to you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, those that peep and mutter, should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead, to the law and to the testimony.

If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light into them. Now people were looking to the spiritist to guide them. They were looking to a communication with the dead for guidance, for instruction, for wisdom.