Isaiah Lesson 84

Cornerstone Church

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How about, God, we come to you realizing that this book of Isaiah, written so many years ago, speaks of your love, of your covenant, speaks of the need for people's hearts, and as we come to it, we realize,

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Lord, that the promises of the future are given not only to the people of Jerusalem, the

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Jews, but to us also. So, where you're going to take us is a promise, but what could happen to those who don't listen will also happen.

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Lord, we pray that your word would speak to us, encourage us, draw us to a relationship with you, even this morning, in Jesus' name, amen.

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Amen. So, the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12, verses 1 to 3, is crucial for understanding the flow of the

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Bible. God had called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and promised to make him a nation and a people that would be like the sand on the shore or like the stars in the sky.

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Now, that people from Abraham becomes 12 tribes, Jacob, and his name is changed to Israel, and in time, they are given another covenant, which is connected with the first, but it is particularly a covenant of blessing and cursing.

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It is the Mosaic covenant. In Exodus 19 and 20, through Moses on the mountain, the people,

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Israel, are given blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience,

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Deuteronomy 28, and what ends up happening is that although the people are chosen by God and given this land, they're not faithful to God's covenant, and so they're constantly coming under punishment, they're coming under discipline from a

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God who loves them. I'll give you an example of this. They were told in the Mosaic covenant that every seventh year was to be a

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Sabbath for the land. The land was supposed to lay fallow and rest, but they never once obeyed that command.

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So what happens after 70 disobediences, 490 years worth of skipping the

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Sabbath of the land? Well, we understand from Jeremiah that there would be a 70 -year captivity.

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In other words, if you're not going to let the land lay fallow, I'm going to take you out of the land and fulfill my

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Sabbath on the land. That is an example of the disobedience of the people, but God fulfilling his covenant.

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So in the book of Isaiah, what we really have is a people living in the promised land.

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They're being attacked, first of all, by a northern aggressor,

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Syria, and there's an alliance then between the king of the north and the

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Syrian king, and that threat eventually is put down. But right after that comes another threat.

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Who is it? Us, Syria, coming from the east, and they are an empire the likes of which the world has never seen.

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They're dominant. They're crushing. They're ruthless and vicious, and they come right up to the neck of Jerusalem only for God to finally deliver his people with the angel that kills 185 ,000

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Assyrian soldiers. That happens at the end of the Isaiah 30s. But then after they are delivered from that foe, there's another foe on the horizon, another empire, and that is

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Babylon. Babylon is coming, and this will be the Babylonian captivity where Jerusalem will be wiped out.

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Now, when I was sick, I had a little time off, so one of the things I did is just listen to Bible books,

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Peter's and James, and one of the ones I listened to that I hadn't heard in quite some time, to be honest, is the book of Lamentations.

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That is a difficult book to even listen to. Babylon, when they wipe out

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Jerusalem, the children are staggering in the streets, and they're fainting for lack of food.

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It is a terrible and vicious picture of even mothers, Jewish mothers, that end up eating their own offspring.

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They're under siege to the point where it's complete annihilation, a harsh destruction of Jerusalem.

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Now, as we open up Isaiah 66, what we have is

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God talking as if this has already happened. Isaiah stands just during the

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Assyrian threat, but the Babylonian threat is still in the future, and yet he's speaking as if they're about to rebuild the temple.

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You see, the very end of the book of Isaiah, the last ten chapters, are future, and for that reason, what do the liberal scholars do, of course?

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Say, it was written after the fact. Written after the fact, right? So they'll say 1 to 39 is the first Isaiah, the real

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Isaiah, and then 40 to 55 is deutero -Isaiah, and then the third section, trito -Isaiah, would be a whole different author altogether.

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The reason they have to do that is they don't believe in supernatural prophecy. How could

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Isaiah be talking about things that haven't even happened yet? But that's their bias, and the whole point of Isaiah being a prophet is that he does speak for God, and one of the reasons that we know that he follows the true

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God in the Isaiah 40s, God is able to tell things in the future as if they've already happened.

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And that's what's happening at the end of the book of Isaiah, does that make sense? So here we are, we're going to open now to Isaiah 66.

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We come to the end of the book. Anybody want to take a guess how many parts this took us?

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84. 84. 84. We got the memo. You got the note.

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It's right there in the title. So we get to Isaiah 66, and what we have is a conclusion, it's really climactic as we saw in chapter 65, which was kind of a recapping of the whole thing, from the disobedience all the way to the new

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Jerusalem, the new heavens and the new earth. It's kind of a swooping summary of the book.

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In chapter 66, I think you get an applicational summary, and what do

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I mean by that? Well, it really comes down to two things. It goes back to Deuteronomy 28.

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There will be Israelites who will tremble at God's word and humbly walk in obedience to what

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God says, and God will look to them and honor them.

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And for them, he has a new Jerusalem where one day they will enjoy the millennium.

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He has promises that he will be faithful to. He will hold on to his people and care for them, and there are good things promised.

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Conversely, there are many who reject the revelation of God, who do not walk in the ways of Yahweh according to the commands, and the opposite fate is theirs.

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And that's really the application of the book. Israel is being called out of their idolatry to serve

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God and to follow the revelation as given, and that's really where Isaiah is going to leave this book.

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You'll find when we get to the last verse of the book, it is the most devastating, scary verse in the entire book.

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And you could say in the Bible, because where does it leave us? Let's read it. Let's start there. Isaiah 66, 24, and they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me, for their worm shall not die.

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Their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be in abhorrence to all flesh. Not an upbeat note, but that's the point of Isaiah.

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The point is, it's a prophetic warning to Israel. Turn to God.

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And those who don't, this is a picture of hell. This is where the worm does not die. That means even the internal intestinal worm will be with this person forever in unquenchable fire, in a picture of torment and unending punishment.

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Okay, so John, would you mind reading for us 66, 1 and 2? This is what the

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Lord says. Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.

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Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being, declares the

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Lord? This is the one I esteem, he who is humble in contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

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Wow. Well, there's the positive call of the book of Isaiah.

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He's calling us to tremble at his word. Go way back to Isaiah 8 in your minds.

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Remember when Israel is being overrun by enemies there. There's a remnant, and that remnant holds on to the testimony and binds it up and seals it amongst

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Isaiah and his children. They hold fast to the testimony, and they do not fear what the people of Israel fear.

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They do not dread what they dread. They do not call conspiracy what this people calls conspiracy, but their fear is the fear of the

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Lord. And they rally to the testimony. They say to the testimony, there are some that cling to the word.

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That's the remnant. There are others that spurn the word of God. Now look at this.

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Thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.

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What is the house that you would build for me? Isaiah here is speaking to a people in exile who are coming out of captivity.

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Now you say, wait, that's impossible. The temple's right there in Jerusalem. No, this is the point.

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He's speaking prophetically in these last 10 chapters of the book of a time when

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Israel is being drawn out of captivity to rebuild the temple. He's speaking into the future, and God is saying, listen, what would you build for me?

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Remember when Solomon first built the temple? Hmm. He says, what?

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What? Who am I? And the heavens? Yeah. Yeah. The heavens can.

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What can I build for you? The heavens themselves cannot contain, right? And that's the same thought here.

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What is the house that you would build for me? What is the place of my rest? All these things my hands have made.

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And so all these things came to be declares the Lord. Turn with me back to 1

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Kings 8, 27. And you also have in your notes if you don't want to flip there. But who would be my first reader?

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This is when Solomon built the temple, as Rich was able to quote, of course.

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You got it, Bob? No. In your notes? No. Anybody got it? It's just right there in your notes as well. Do you have this paper?

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Yeah. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which

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I have built for you. Wow. What was that again? I'm sorry. So this is in 1

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Kings. And Solomon has built the temple. And he's dedicating the temple.

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And he says, even the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple

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I have built. It's not the temple that makes the people holy.

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It's not the outward offering of animals. It's not the physical outward religion.

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Rather, what is it that God looks for? Back to Isaiah 66. Amen. You just said it, brother.

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Here it is. This is what the whole book applicationally is driving toward.

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This is the one to whom I will look. He who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

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If Isaiah the prophet could be here with us today, and he would say to us the kind of person that God wants, he would say, humble yourself before the

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Almighty God. Don't be prideful in his presence. Be lowly of heart.

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Come humbly before him, trembling at his word, the way Isaiah trembled himself in Isaiah 6.

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Fear the Lord, not man. Come and listen to what he says.

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Hold this word. If you hold this, you're safe. This is it.

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This is the message of Isaiah, to tremble at his word. In so short a phrase, remember that.

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That is what Isaiah is calling us to be and do. To be humble in heart, contrite in spirit, to tremble at his word.

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Amen. It's what he wants of us. It's not real complicated, is it? It has a lot more to do with our heart than it does what we can do for him.

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What could we build him? Our church is presently in a building campaign, right?

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But if we ever think that whatever we can build at 23 Phillips Road is what's going to make

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God happy with Cornerstone, we're fools. What will make

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God happy with Cornerstone? Our hearts. Amen. It's a people whose hearts tremble before his word.

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A people that continues to uphold this, this, the word of God. Not what we can build him.

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Not what we can do and give and how much money or how many people. None of those things move him.

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He has everything. The cattle on a thousand hills. He made the universe. What can we offer him?

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But he does care for something. He cares to see the hearts of his people bow down in reverence, in holy fear, trembling before him, holding his word.

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That's what he wants. He wants your heart. One of the verses my mom taught me to memorize, the

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M verse in the alphabet. My child, give me your heart. That's what he wants.

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He wants your heart. Let's read on. Who would like to read for me three to four?

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Three to four. You got that, Rich? He who spores an ox is like one who kills a man.

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He who sacrifices a lamb like one who breaks a dog's neck.

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He who presents grain offering like one who offers pig's blood.

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He who makes a memorial offering of frankincense like one who blesses an idol.

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These have chosen their own ways and their soul delights in their abominations.

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I also will choose hard treatment for them and bring their fears upon them because when

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I called, no one answered. When I spoke, they did not listen. But they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that which

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I did not delight in. Okay, this theme has come up a number of times now where God will say,

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I hate your new moons in your festivals. But wait a minute. This is what's so striking about this passage.

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It was God himself in the Mosaic covenant who commanded them to bring bulls.

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And pinches of incense. So why would he say this, guys? What do you think? Probably missing the mark with regard to the vehicle of the sacrifice, which is more representative than real.

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It doesn't do anything. The bull doesn't bring forgiveness or salvation. It's the attitude of the heart.

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Apparently, they got an attitude problem. Yeah, they've begun to rely on these outward offerings, works, works, rituals.

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But what is the condition of their heart? We see that in verse four, right? When I called, no one answers.

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When I spoke, they do not listen. They don't listen to the word. They don't hear the prophets. But they chose what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which

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I did not delight. Abominable thing. So they would offer to idols.

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But they think as long as we're also bringing our sacrifices to Yahweh, He's got to be pleased with us.

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We're checking the boxes. Do you see the issue here?

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It's outward religion to try to make up for a crooked heart. Is that how it works with God?

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No, is going to church on Sunday what justifies us? Or do we go to church on Sunday to worship

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God from a heart that's thankful, that wants to glorify Him for what He's done for us? Big difference, right?

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It's not something that we can come and earn from God that He would then owe us anything. Right? He doesn't owe us anything.

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He's God. And yet this idea of just outward religion, the Jews had settled in to tradition, you know, like fiddle around the roof.

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Tradition. You know, it had just become tradition for them. They would do the festivals four times a year.

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They would go and bring their offerings. But their hearts were far. That's the idea.

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So God has harsh treatment for the outward religious who just won't listen. Now, what about the imagery here?

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Slaughtering an ox. Was that a good thing? Yes, it is. Yeah. This is like a sacrificial ox.

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Look at verse three. He who slaughters an ox. Okay, well, that's good, right?

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That's in the covenant to bring a sacrifice. But God says to me, that's like one who kills a man.

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Bad thing. The next one. He who sacrifices a lamb. Good thing, right?

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You're bringing your sacrifice like one who breaks a dog's neck. Bad thing.

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He who presents a grain offering like one who offers pig's blood.

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It's good to bring your grain offering. But God said, in other words, when you bring this outward gift to the altar that you think is pleasing to God, he's showing you what it looks like to him.

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It looks like you're killing a man. It looks like you're breaking a dog's neck. It looks like you're putting pig blood on my altar.

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He's not accepting it. He doesn't take it as good religion. Just because they're doing the outward form doesn't look that way to him.

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It's like you said, checking the boxes. That's it. So the old covenant was never about checking the boxes.

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Right, Bob? It was about a heart that loves God and trembles before his word.

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And that's what the Israelites have lost here. And that's why we're going to get them into captivity.

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The 70 years of not letting the land lay fallow.

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That's one example of how they don't listen. They don't care about what the word said.

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Or trust. I mean, they need food. They need the land to provide for them.

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So it's a matter of their trust in the Lord for what he said with regard to the physical keeping of their appetites and, you know.

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Great point. Leave them fallow, what are we going to eat? Right, they would have, if they had obeyed the word, they would have been storing up like Joseph in the barns.

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And they would have had plenty. But they never trusted. Yeah, it was a trust problem.

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They didn't want to trust the provider. So they just kept doing it their way. All right.

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Would anybody like to read verse five? Thank you. You're just going to get the

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New England version. Oh, is that a New England accent? Hear the word of the

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Lord, you who tremble at his word. Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you from my namesake, have said, let the

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Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy, but they will be put to shame.

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Wow. So he has word to those who tremble. So this is the contrast now that we're talking about today.

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As the book concludes, you have some who are only outwardly Jewish versus others who are

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Jewish indeed. In the language of Romans 9, true Jews, those who do tremble.

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There are a remnant that actually love God and they love his word. And here's what the word is to them.

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Verse five. Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word. Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my namesake have said, let the

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Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy. See, they're mocking. But it is they who shall be put to shame.

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You're being shamed because you love God. That wouldn't happen in our culture, would it?

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No shame messages from the culture for walking in his ways.

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Well, that's obviously what we face. And more and more as the years go by, because the remnant seems to be a smaller and smaller number.

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And so we will be put to shame. But ultimately, it's not us who will be put to shame.

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It is they who shall be put to shame. Yeah, there's a there's a separator between sheep and goat, wheat and tare.

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Those on the right and those on the left in Matthew 25. So verses six to nine now are very interesting.

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We'll get into this section here. And Barb, would you mind reading that for us? Hear the upright, hear the uproar from the city, hear the noise from the temple.

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It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies for all they deserve. Before she goes into labor, she gives birth.

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Before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing?

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Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment?

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Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring the moment of birth and not give delivery?

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Says the Lord. Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery? Says the

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Lord. Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her.

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Rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. Thank you.

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Now this is an interesting passage. What's that? Okay.

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Well, first of all, let's begin in the near context of the passage, right?

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Where is Isaiah? He is in the city of Jerusalem before its fall, but he's speaking prophetically to the people in captivity coming out to rebuild the temple, right?

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So the near fulfillment of what he's referring to is the rebuilding of the temple.

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The rebuilding of Jerusalem coming out of captivity, a nation that's in Babylonian captivity, reborn in a day.

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When does that happen? Well, I think you're a step ahead of me.

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So when does that first happen? If you're in captivity in Babylon for 70 years, it's

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Nehemiah chapter one, when Artaxerxes gives a decree to restore and rebuild

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Jerusalem, which is also the very language of Daniel in captivity, chapter nine, verse 24, to restore and rebuild

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Jerusalem. With that decree, the nation is reborn in a day.

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But wait, having gone back into the land, the Messiah comes to their land, is crucified, dead and buried, and rises.

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And in 70 AD, the temple gets wrecked again. And the whole country is sent into diaspora.

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The nation is gone again. Would Isaiah say anything to that?

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And Rich, I think I agree with you where you went. I find it no coincidence or accident of history that on May 14, 1948, in a day, once again,

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Israel was reborn as a nation. Let's look at the words. Before she was in labor, she gave birth.

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Before her pain came upon her, she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing?

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Who has seen such a thing? Shall a land be born in one day?

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That just doesn't happen. And listen, guys, in the history of the world, there's never been a people like Israel who for 2 ,000 years were in diaspora and yet somehow remained an ethnic distinct people.

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And then in one day, were recreated as a nation. They got their language back.

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They got their land back. Now, the majority of all ethnic Jews in the world live in the promised land.

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More than 50%. Six million. Amazing. It is.

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Warren Wiersbe said, political Israel was born on May 14, 1948.

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But the new Israel will be born in a day when they believe on Jesus Christ.

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So Wiersbe makes a distinction between a political nation that was reborn and a one -day rebirth, which will be the national revival, or truly the first bible, because they never truly believed in Messiah.

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There was only ever a remnant. Romans 9 to 11 says, they will one day look upon the one they pierced, mourn for him.

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And what was a hardened people will soften up and open to their

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Messiah. Let me read just more specifically what that verse says. Romans 11. You don't have to turn there, but you can if you want.

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Romans 11, verse 25.

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Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers.

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A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the

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Gentiles has come in. They've been partially hardened for a time until the

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Gentiles have all come in. And then, in this way, all

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Israel will be saved. You're talking about completion again.

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That's the rebirth of Israel. Now, they were politically reborn just a generation ago.

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That's remarkable. Who has ever heard of it? Who has seen such things?

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A land born in a day. Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?

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For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her children. But Romans 11, that you just quoted, is talking about the spiritual.

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Right, yeah. And that was Weersbee's point, yeah. They are ethnically and nationally revived in the nation, but there still needs to be this spiritual awakening.

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And that's what Romans 11 promises, that we're looking forward to. And will it happen?

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Look at verse 9. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?

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Just like back in the days of Artaxerxes, he brought them into the nation, and they were reborn as a nation.

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So it will be here in the end times. It's going to happen.

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It is cool, that's right. Shall I who cause to bring forth shut the womb, says your

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God? And what's obviously the implied answer? No, he's not going to do that.

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What he's begun, he will complete. And it's a beautiful thing. So this is a great promise of the coming millennium and the restoration of Israel to all the promises.

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Remember way back to Genesis 12? So many of the promises to Abraham have never fully come to pass.

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But it's not as if God's will and his word have failed. They come true in the millennium, and it's just at the door.

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So verses 10 to 14. Got that,

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Bob? Thank you. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her.

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Rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. For you will be,

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I'm sorry, for you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breast. You will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.

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Keep going? Yeah, just to 14. For this is what the Lord says. I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream.

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You will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will

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I comfort you. And you will be comforted over Jerusalem. When you see this, your heart will rejoice.

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You will flourish like grass. The hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants.

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But his fury will be shown to his foes. When will these things be?

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In the millennium. And what's it referring to? Jerusalem there is the nursing mother.

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Jerusalem now is comfort to her people. Israel is being cared for and in a safe and comforting place, no longer scattered about the nations, no longer beaten down and persecuted.

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Now she is safe and secure in Jerusalem. Verse 10. Rejoice with Jerusalem.

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Be glad for her. All you who love her. Guys, do you love Jerusalem? Yes.

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Why would you do that? You're an American. We love the Jewish people. We love Israel. We love Jerusalem.

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Remember the Abrahamic covenant. Those who bless Israel will be blessed.

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Psalm 122 .6. What does that say? Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

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We ought to love Jerusalem. That's what it says. All you who love her. Rejoice with her in joy.

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All you who mourn over her that you may be, you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast.

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Here, Jerusalem as a city. It's the center of the world.

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It is the king's throne during the millennium reign. It's the seat.

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And what about the nations? Well, the glory of the nations are like an overflowing stream.

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The peace of Jerusalem is like a river. Peace like a river.

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Anybody ever been to a peaceful river before? Where you're just out there and you just see it flowing gently.

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One of my favorite places to run is along a river. But I live in New Jersey now. But the

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Wissahickon out there outside of Philadelphia, this beautiful river and just to run up along the banks.

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There's no peace like a river. Jerusalem will have a river flowing from it.

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Zechariah tells us that when the king comes, this place in Jerusalem will be elevated as the chief among the mountains.

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And a river will run out from it. You see it in Revelation as well. And it extends out to the nations.

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This picture of peace coming from Jerusalem. This is where you want to be. This is a contrast to the terror.

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I'm not sure where it is that even mothers with childhood breast won't be safe.

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I won't be safe. Right. Probably Revelation. Yeah, I would say you're right.

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That it's a contrast to... You said it's right. Yeah. Yeah. Your wife gave you the nod. So you're in the clear.

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So Jerusalem here is the picture. It's a millennium. That's we're in the millennium here through verse 14.

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And Rich, would you read 15 and 16? 15 and 16. For behold, the

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Lord will come in fire and his chariots like the whirlwind to render his anger in fury and his rebuke with flames of fire.

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For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment and by his sword with all flesh and those slain by the

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Lord shall be many. Okay. Where does your mind go when you read those words? Book of Revelation chapter 19.

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The second coming of Christ. How do you get to the millennium? Actually, my mind goes to the guy that cut me off in traffic.

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Oh, oh boy. What is a joke stick? So we're obviously picturing the millennium here, but you don't get there until the king himself comes when he does.

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It's to put down all the enemies and every threat. The book of Revelation. You have all the hordes of the nations coming against Jerusalem.

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Well, that ultimately will be the battle of Armageddon. And the Lord himself will put down any threat to the throne.

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So revelation 1921 says, and the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse.

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And all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Same imagery here. A fire.

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There is a sword. It says verse 16, and it's the Lord himself who does the slaying from the breath of his mouth.

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It turns out the second coming of Christ is a picture of his coming in vengeance to judge the picture of power and great authority where he sets up his kingdom.

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And that is a terrifying proposition for those who are rebelled against him. Verse 17 says, those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig's flesh and the abomination and mice shall come to an end altogether, declares the

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Lord. So the false religionist, you notice how he considers himself sanctified.

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Remember how he brings offerings and he thinks he's great. Look around you in the world in which you live.

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Ask somebody next to you, not in this room out of the world. Are you religious?

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Nine out of 10 times, Lisa, you're right. They're going to say, oh, yes, I'm very spiritual.

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I'm not religious. I'm spiritual, not religious. They picture themselves as being sanctified.

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Good with God. Nobody thinks that they're God's enemy. They think

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God is more than happy because they do religious things. Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, not into the temple, following one in the midst, eating pig's flesh.

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So completely rejecting the covenant dietary code. These Israelites.

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Now, of course, we know that there's a dispensational change in Acts chapter 12 with Peter saying the sheep from heaven.

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Right. So we know that this is an abomination to the Lord in the Old Testament, but we're under the new.

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So there's a dispensational difference there. Eating pig's flesh and the abomination and mice shall come to an end together, declares the

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Lord. All right. So let's see here. We're almost done. Jerusalem as the center of the nations with her king enthroned versus 18 to 23.

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John, would you read that for us? We've got a question. Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. No, I did. Yeah. In mine, it says eating swine's flesh, comma, and the abomination, comma, and the mouse.

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What's the abomination? I think that that there is only the picture of doing things that are contrary to the law, like eating pig flesh.

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I don't know that it references like Daniel's abomination of desolation. Unclean.

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You can't eat mice. Right. Yeah, no, you can't eat mice. They're forbidden. Yeah. Yeah, to eat.

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See, you have to understand. This is why Peter was shocked when God told him to do it.

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To take and eat pig or mice or something unclean is an abomination. It's not just like I could take it or leave it.

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No, that's horrifying to the Jewish people and what they were doing by just completely rejecting

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God's command and they're eating pig's flesh. That's an abomination. That's the concept.

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What's that? I said, I know some Jews that like bacon. Yeah. Yeah. If you're under the old covenant and you're doing that, then you just don't regard what the word says, right?

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Okay. So, John, would you read for us 18 to 23? And I, because of their actions and their imaginations,

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I'm about to come and gather all nations and tongues and they will come and see my glory.

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I will set aside among them. I will send some of those who survive to the nations to Tarshish and to Libyans and the

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Libyans famous as archers to Tubal in Greece and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.

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They will proclaim my glory among the nations and they will bring all your brothers from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem.

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I love that line, right? Isn't that beautiful? It's my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the

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Lord on horses and chariots and wagons and on mules and camels says the Lord. They will bring them as the

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Israelites bring their grain offerings to the temple of the Lord and ceremonially clean vessels.

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And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites says the Lord. Oh, more?

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Yeah. 22 and 20. Okay. And the new heavens and the new earth that I will make will endure before me declares the

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Lord. So will your name be and descendants endure from one new moon to another and from one

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Sabbath to another. All mankind will come and bow down before me says the

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Lord. Okay. So obviously verse 24, we've already read, but that will be the contrast of those who are not believing and trembling at his word.

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So here we have the beautiful climax of the book of Isaiah in verses 18 to 23 of the 66 chapter.

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It is a picture of Jerusalem, but who's welcome there. This is amazing.

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Is it the Jew only? The Gentiles also are invited to come.

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I know their works and their thoughts and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues.

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And so at Pentecost, we see that first token of that where they've come from all the nations and gathered and God welcomes them to believe they shall come and see my glory and I will set a sign among them.

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What do you think the sign is? Christ himself. It's Christ as the signal to the nation.

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This is Isaiah language back in the forties, the sign to the nations. He is the suffering servant, the one we've heard about all book long.

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He's the one. He's the one they come to. He's the one they're seeking from them.

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I will send survivors to the nations. So this is out of the tribulation into the millennium and all the nations are coming to worship in Jerusalem.

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Tarshish pool and mood tubal and Javon to the coastlands far away.

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That's us. We're at the ends of the earth, the far away lands. I mean, New Jersey is pretty far from Jerusalem, isn't it?

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But we're welcome there. The glory among the nations. This is the part that John loved.

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They shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. Wow. That's amazing.

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It is amazing. Yep. This beautiful way to end it. Horses and chariots and litters and on mules and dromedaries.

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What are those? Are those a camel? Well, it's not a camel. So it's in the camel family.

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Very nice. To my holy mountain, says the

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Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the

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Lord and some of them also I will take for priests and for Levite, says the Lord. Wow.

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Isn't that interesting? Peter's language in first Peter to make them a kingdom of priests.

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It's not only the Jewish people, but Gentiles in the sense are brought in, grafted in to serve him, to worship him and offer the incense of praise.

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The new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me. So shall your offspring and your name remain.

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Wow. A new heavens, a new earth and the children of God forever before him.

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Bearing that name from new moon to new moon, from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the

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Lord. And the book closes before you close the 24th. Yeah, you're going to close at the 24th.

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Yeah. I want to take us back to Isaiah six. Do it. I want to read verses eight through 10.

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It's an amazing how he has just come full circle. Yeah, I come full circle. Then I heard the voice of the

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Lord saying, who shall I send? Who will go for us? And I said, here am

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I, send me. And he said, go tell those people, be ever hearing, never understanding, be ever seeing, never perceiving, make the heart of those people callous, make their ears dull, close their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, turn and be healed.

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Isaiah had a message of truth from God. And he was burdened that they might not even hear it.

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And that's really the point of the book. As it is. Yeah. You see it with Isaiah there with that commission to him as a prophet.

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Some will tremble at his word and believe in him and worship from the heart. Others will, they'll go through the motions.

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They'll bring sacrifices because that's how they can be part of the Israelite community.

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But their hearts are far. And here's what it says. Verse 24, and they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me.

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And guys, listen, this doctrine is picked up in the new Testament. Mark chapter nine, verses 47 and 48.

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If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

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What was the reference in Mark? That's Mark 9, 47, 48. It's in your notes as well. It actually calls this place hell.

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So what Jesus does there is he draws from the last verse of Isaiah to warn of hell.

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Hell is a place of conscious punishment. And it's everlasting.

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It's not annihilation. It is eternal conscious punishment.

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And so Isaiah ends there as hard as it is to end there, but only after showing verses 18 to 23, the promise of life and the new heavens and new earth to those who do humble themselves before God, tremble at his word, believing.

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So John, would you close out the book of Isaiah as you pray for us? Lord, this is a message of truth, but it is a message that should draw us into fear and realization that there is a literal eternal punishment for those who have turned against you.

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I pray, Lord, this draws us with a sense of urgency to share your word of truth to a dark world that needs to hear that we would never tire of telling that truth.

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As the prophet Isaiah said, here am I, send me, Lord, we know that it is the power of your word and your word alone.

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We can be your servants, but it's your word and your Holy Spirit. We pray, Lord, that this ultimate punishment, that Lord, people would turn away from it.

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Yes, Lord, we know. We know that you are faithful. You are holy and you are true and you will keep your word.

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We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. I have a question. Yes. That Romans passage?