WWUTT 2199 Heaven Is My Throne (Isaiah 66:1-24)

The Lord God has said, this is the one to whom I will look, to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word.

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When we understand the text, teaching through a New Testament book on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, an Old Testament book on Thursday, and a

Q &A on Friday. With our Old Testament study today, here's Pastor Gabe. Thank you,

Becky, and greetings, everyone. Well, I believe our study in the book of Isaiah comes to a close today.

We've got one chapter left. This is Isaiah chapter 66. And I'm going to begin by reading verses 1 through 6, and then

I'll give you an outline of this chapter and what our study looks like today. Hear the word of the

Lord, Thus says Yahweh, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool of my feet.

Where then is a house you could build for me, and where is a place that I may rest?

For my hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being, declares

Yahweh. But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word.

But he who slaughters an ox is the one who strikes down a man.

He who sacrifices a lamb is the one who breaks a dog's neck. He who offers a grain offering is the one who offers swine's blood.

He who offers a memorial offering of frankincense is the one who blesses wickedness. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul takes pleasure in the detestable things, so I will choose their punishments, and I will bring on them what they dread.

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

I did not take pleasure. Hear the word of Yahweh, you who tremble at his word.

Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for my name's sake, have said, Let Yahweh be glorified, that we may see your gladness.

But they will be put to shame. A voice of rumbling from the city, a voice from the temple, the voice of Yahweh who is paying recompense to his enemies.

Now the way that this chapter divides up, verses one and two that we read here at the very start, sets the stage for everything that's going to come after it.

The Lord saying, Heaven is my throne, the earth is the footstool of my feet, and then talking about those to whom he shows his affection and kindness.

This is the one to whom I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at my word.

And then what we have next in verses two through nine, you have the contrast between those who do not tremble at the word of God, they did not obey what he has said, and then

God calling those who do love his word to himself. But then finally, in verses 10 through 24, you have the promise of joy and Jerusalem's future, and this is not just a declaration for the

Jewish people, this is a declaration for all of God's people, meaning everyone who will become a follower of Christ in that day,

Jew or Gentile, as they are both mentioned here in 10 to 24. Now, interestingly enough, and I said this yesterday in the

Mark study that we did, the very last verse here seems kind of doom and gloom.

It's talking about those who are dead and will be scattered in the streets, their corpses are going to be laying around everywhere.

What an odd way to end the book of Isaiah. But this is nonetheless good news for God's people, because it means their enemies have been destroyed while they have been preserved and live with God forever in this new heavens and new earth that had been promised in the previous chapter.

So let's come back to the very start of this. Verses one and two, thus says

Yahweh, heaven is my throne and the earth is the footstool of my feet.

Where then is a house you could build for me? And where is a place that I may rest?

It very well could have been that when the Jews come out of captivity and they rebuild the temple, which we read about in Ezra and Nehemiah, that perhaps they thought, well, here's the answer to that question.

We've built this temple to you. Are you going to come and live in it? And the answer to that is no.

God did not come and dwell in that temple again the way that he did before when Solomon had built the temple.

We don't see the presence of God enter that second temple. It is

Jesus who comes and will teach in that temple later on, but God doesn't dwell in it as he did before with his people.

Now these couple of verses here at the start of Isaiah 66, this is referenced by Stephen in Acts chapter seven.

This is right before he is about to be martyred, right after he is just given a history of the way the

Pharisees and the scribes and those uber religious had put the prophets to death.

They did not listen to the word of God. So even these teachers in the temple in this day, after Christ's death and resurrection and ascension into heaven, even those teachers continue in the same evil spirit that those before them were in when they did not listen to the prophets.

They did not listen to the word of God. And so Stephen says in Acts seven verse 48, however, the most high does not dwell in houses made by human hands.

As the prophet says, heaven is my throne and the earth is the footstool of my feet.

What kind of house will you build for me says the Lord or what place is there for my rest?

Was it not my hand which made all these things? And then Stephen gives his rebuke to the stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart, the ears that are always resisting the

Holy Spirit as your fathers did. Stephen says, so you do.

And so Stephen is calling to their attention the fact that these words that God said in Isaiah 66 at the start of this chapter was about them.

God is going to establish his church in the earth and there are people that will worship him from everywhere.

Jesus talks about this in John four, a day is coming and is now here when people will not worship on this mountain or that mountain, but the worship will happen everywhere.

They will worship God all over the place because God's Holy Spirit will dwell in them.

He doesn't dwell in temples made by hands, but God dwells in them.

God dwelling with his people through his Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul brings this out also in his sermon at the

Areopagus in Acts chapter 17, where he says that God doesn't dwell in places built by human hands as if he needed anything.

And so this statement is made by God at the beginning of Isaiah 66, where then is a house that you could build for me that I may rest.

And again, verse two, for my hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being declares

Yahweh. If he's ever going to dwell anywhere, it's because God chooses to do so. It's not because man has made something that is worthy of God.

But to this one, I will look, the Lord says to him who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at my word.

This is who God dwells with. This is to whom he gives his presence.

And again, this is speaking toward the church that is going to come, the people of God that he will establish in the earth through the sharing of the gospel.

Those who follow Jesus Christ and listen to his word and do it. This is the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, who recognizes their sin and their need for a savior and that Christ is that savior.

And they tremble at my word. Another way of saying they do what my word says. They fear it and so they do it.

And this is the one God fellowships with. It's not the one who has the temple.

It's not the one who's doing all the sacrifices in the temple. For as we've heard this rebuke from Isaiah previously, they acknowledge me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

They do all these religious works and sacrifices, but it's all in vain. It's not for God.

That goes all the way back to the very first chapter of Isaiah, the rebuke that God gave at the beginning of this prophet's address.

And so we have that come back in here, beginning in verse three, but he who slaughters an ox is the one who strikes down a man.

He may sacrifice in the temple, but he doesn't love his brothers and so puts them to death.

He wants to claim that he's keeping the first table of the law, but if he's not keeping the second table of the law to love his neighbor, then he's not keeping the first either to love his

God. He who sacrifices a lamb is the one who breaks a dog's neck, touching something that is unclean.

He who offers a grain offering is the one who offers swine's blood, offers something unclean.

He who offers a memorial offering of frankincense is the one who blesses wickedness.

Frankincense and the aroma to represent that a person's whole spirit is completely devoted to God.

But in the meantime, he goes about blessing wickedness. He thinks these wicked things are good.

We're seeing this happen a lot in America right now of people that will say that they are

Christians, that they follow God, and in the meantime, they're blessing wickedness. I am continually astounded at the popularity of guys like Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro among Christians.

They are supposedly conservative commentators and political activists, but they love all of the sins that are in the

LGBTQ acrostic. Charlie Kirk will stand in front of an audience and say that he is a God -fearing

Christian, loves Jesus Christ, Jesus is Lord, but then the guys that he says are

Christians and that he will include at his TPUSA events are open homosexuals.

And he thinks that these people are actually conservative and even Christians and that they are fighting for the better interest of Christians and for the freedoms that we have here in America.

Continually, I will see Christians go after these things. And in fact, we're reading this chapter, Isaiah 66, in the same week that news is breaking where the

Republican Party is softening their position on abortion and same -sex marriage. They will continue to say they're the conservative party, that they love

Jesus Christ, that Jesus is Lord. But in the meantime, they bless wickedness.

They partner with it. They platform it. They just want the votes so that we can keep our political power.

And the Lord detests this. He will spit these out of his mouth.

These are not the faithful who walk with God. They are the ones who will come to destruction, as God promises here, as they have chosen their own ways and their soul takes pleasure in their detestable things.

So I will choose their punishments and will bring on them what they dread because I called and no one answered.

I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which

I did not take pleasure. Now I use those examples, but this can fall on any number of things.

There are plenty of churches in America and even around the world full of people that claim that they worship

God and that God approves of everything that they say and do. But in the meantime, they love wickedness.

Sometimes it's plain as day, like they're flying pride flags out in front of their church.

So you can see that they love wickedness, but there's other times when it's completely hidden. They're doing it behind closed doors because they know it's evil and they don't want anyone to see it, but nor do they repent of it.

They don't really tremble at God's word because they don't recognize, they don't acknowledge that for this evil that I am doing, judgment will come upon me if I do not repent.

And so they rejoice in that which God takes no pleasure. But then we contrast that group with those who do love

God's word and do what he says. Hear the word of Yahweh, you who tremble at his word, your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for my name's sake, have said, let

Yahweh be glorified that we may see your gladness, but they will be put to shame.

In other words, they praise God and they think that putting out the righteous ones, they is actually to God's glory.

God is delighted in the fact that we're putting out these faithful ones. No, we're the true faithful ones and God is saying, no, they will be put to shame.

In Malachi chapter two, verse 17, it says, you have wearied Yahweh with your words, but you say, how have we wearied him?

By saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh and he delights in them or by asking, where is the

God of justice? And asking that question as though to say, God doesn't see, he's not going to punish us for this.

And they continue in their wickedness, but the judgment of God will come upon them.

They will be put to shame. A voice of rumbling from the city, a voice from the temple, the voice of Yahweh who is paying recompense to his enemies.

They think that they can dwell in the temple and dwell there with God, but it is actually from the dwelling place of God that he speaks and will bring judgment upon the wicked.

Verses seven through nine, before she was in labor pains, she gave birth. Before her pangs came, she delivered a male child.

Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be brought forth through labor pains in one day?

Can a nation be born all at once? As soon as Zion was in labor pains, she also gave birth to her sons.

Shall I bring to the point of breaking forth and not cause birth, says Yahweh, or shall I who causes birth shut the womb, says your

God? Now this is speaking of a couple of things here. You could interpret this as talking about the coming of the

Messiah who will be born of the virgin, just as had been prophesied through Isaiah.

And when the Messiah comes, can a land be brought forth through labor pains in one day?

Can a nation be born all at once? Yes, for all who are in Christ Jesus are that holy nation talked about in 1

Peter 2 and will be known as the people of God. So you could see it prophetically that way, but you could also see this as speaking about the entire movement of Christianity that is going to come about through the

Messiah. So not talking specifically about the virgin birth, but talking more about the birth of the nation that will come through the spread of the gospel.

And so with that in mind, with those questions that are being asked rhetorically and answered to know that the nation of God will be brought forth as in a moment.

So we have this promise of joy in Jerusalem's future that begins at verse 10 and goes to the end of Isaiah 66, be glad with Jerusalem and rejoice for her.

All you who love her be exceedingly joyful with her. All you who mourn over her, that you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, that you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom.

Now remember that the apostle Paul says to the Galatians that Jerusalem is our mother.

And so it is from Jerusalem that the Messiah is going to come. Of course, that's where he is crucified.

It is there where he is resurrected. And then all who are in Christ are known as the new

Jerusalem. The church is called the new Jerusalem, according to revelation. So all who are in Christ, Jerusalem is our mother.

And we are comforted by her, by the gospel that has come to us, that has united us, that has brought us into God's family by adoption through faith in Jesus Christ.

For thus says Yahweh, behold, I stretch out peace to her like a river and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream.

And you will be nursed. You will be carried on the hip and played with on the knees.

Now it is said there, not just to the Jews recognize this. It is a glory to all the nations, everybody in the world from all tribe, tongue and nation on the planet.

They will come into this kingdom of God in the new heavens, in the new earth through the gospel of Jesus Christ that was proclaimed to them.

This river, peace to her like a river and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream, a reference to the

Holy Spirit of God that will go out to all men. Verse 13, as one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.

And as Jerusalem is the church, the new Jerusalem, are we not comforted in her?

Do you not find comfort in the fact that you are part of the church of the living God? Verse 14, then you will see this and your heart will be joyful and your bones will flourish like the new grass and the hand of Yahweh will be made known to his slaves, but he will be indignant toward his enemies.

So we're still seeing this in Isaiah 66, a contrast between those who tremble at the word of God and those who did not obey the word.

His indignation will still burn toward his enemies. For behold,

Yahweh will come in fire and his chariots like a whirlwind to return his anger with wrath and his rebuke with flames of fire.

This is exactly the way the apostle Paul describes Christ coming back with his angels in flaming fire in second

Thessalonians chapter one, verse 16 for Yahweh will execute judgment by fire and by his sword on all flesh and those slain by Yahweh will be many.

Revelation chapter 19, Jesus returns on a white horse and with the sword that comes from his mouth, he strikes them down and the streets are filled with blood and the slain of Yahweh are many.

Verse 17, those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens following one in the center who eats swine's flesh, detestable things and mice will come to an end altogether declares

Yahweh. Now, remember when we were in Mark chapter seven, I had mentioned that the dietary laws were put in place for the purpose of separating the

Jews from the Gentiles. It's not that there was anything inherently unclean about those foods, but God meant for even the dietary laws to keep the way that Jews dined separate from the table of the

Gentiles. And so when these food laws are brought up here in verse 17, they eat swine's flesh, detestable things and mice, and they will come to an end altogether.

What Jesus is saying about them, what God is saying about them here is that they had fraternized with the world.

They had become friends with the world. And remember that James says in James four, you adulterous people, do you not realize that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

So they were not taken out of the world and separated, becoming holy and a part of God's church.

They claimed they said with their mouths that they were followers of God. But in the meantime, their hearts were still after the world.

They were like Lot's wife, who, though she was rescued out of Sodom, her heart was still there in the city.

And she turned around and looked at it as it burned, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. And so in verse 18, the

Lord says, and I know their works and their thoughts. The time is coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see my glory.

I will set a sign among them and will send those who have escaped from them to the nations Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshach, Tubal, and Javan to the distant coastlands that have neither heard my report nor seen my glory.

And they will declare my glory among the nations. Now, what's being said here is not an end times judgment versus 18 and 19.

This is talking about the gospel that will go out into the world, and even Gentiles will hear it and hear the good news and believe in Jesus and see the glory of God.

They will declare my glory among the nations. Then they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as a grain offering to Yahweh on horses and chariots and litters on mules and on camels to my holy mountain.

Jerusalem says Yahweh, just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of Yahweh.

So as Israel has known this, so there are people from all lands who will know this. They will know coming into the presence of God and worshiping him and bringing their offerings.

And of course, as said in Romans 12 one, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices unto

God, holy and acceptable unto him. And this is our spiritual act of worship.

I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites, says Yahweh. And of course, we've got those who minister on behalf of the gospel, ministering to God's people and even evangelizing in the world.

Verse 22, for just as the new heavens and the new earth, which I make will endure before me, declares

Yahweh. So your seed and your name will endure. As long as we are still here on this planet, there will be

Christians. There will be the church. The message of Jesus Christ and the gospel will go out.

God declares this in 700 BC. You remember, all of this is going on even a hundred years before the

Jews are going to be exiled into the Babylonian captivity. That's when all of this is being prophesied.

And yet it is still true 2 ,700 years later to this day that God has sent his name throughout the earth and the church is coming forth through the preaching of the gospel.

Your seed and your name will endure. The spiritual children and offspring that you produce through sharing the gospel.

Verse 23, and it shall be from new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all mankind will come to worship before me, says

Yahweh. Now, all mankind does not mean every single person. And there are some that will interpret it that way, that indeed the entire world will be converted.

But that is not what God is saying here. Again, it is people that would be drawn from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

It is all kinds of people who come and worship before God, and that is being fulfilled in the earth even now.

But here is where we conclude in verse 24 on something of a gloomy note.

But again, for those of us who know God and rejoice in him, even this is still part of the good news.

Verse 24, then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against me, for their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched, and they will be an object of contempt to all mankind.

We have this warning that is given here, that yes, I will deliver my own.

I will rescue my people, those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at my word. But those who do not, who transgressed against me, they will be thrown into that place of eternal fiery torment, where their worm does not die and the fire will not be quenched, just as we read

Jesus saying in Mark 9 yesterday. So this will be the case for those who are not humble before God and do not follow his word.

The warning is given there. But as I said, it's also good news for the people of God because we recognize that the enemies of God will be put to death.

Those that had set themselves against God and therefore against his people, the judgment of God will come upon them.

And when we dwell in his eternal kingdom forever, those people will not be there and we will live in peace forever with God.

We should strive for that peace now, even within the church, if there are people in our midst who are not humble before God and are not listening to his word and obeying it.

Well, Jesus gave us instructions regarding church discipline as to how somebody who will not obey

God's word is supposed to be dealt with. The apostle Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 6, purge the evil person from among you.

So even in the church, we must maintain purity and encourage one another to strive for holiness, building one another up in love.

As I said yesterday, what are you willing to sacrifice that you may enter into the kingdom of God?

What do you have to put off from yourself that would otherwise cause you to sin and go away, go astray from God?

What do you have to put away? Cutting out your eye, cutting off your hand, cutting off your feet.

Again, those aren't literal things that Jesus was talking about in Mark 9. But using that extreme language as though to say, it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God maimed than to have your whole body and be thrown into hell.

You can have all the stuff that you ever could have wanted. I'm happy with all of this. I'm living in relative peace and comfort.

And yet you'll find yourself for all eternity in destruction. If you don't put away the things that lead you astray and humble yourself before God and tremble at his word.

For those who do that, as said at the beginning of Isaiah 66, this is the one

God shows his favor to, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at my word.

As James said in James chapter one, let us not just be hearers of the word, but also do what it says.

Heavenly father, we thank you for everything that we have studied here in the book of Isaiah. And may these words continue to settle upon our hearts and grow us in our spirits, that we know the good news of the gospel of Christ that has been proclaimed to us.

We know the goodness of the promise that has been declared that we will live forever with God in his glory and his eternal kingdom.

For all who know Jesus Christ, the promise of the one who would be born of the virgin, the promise of the child who will be born to us, the government will be upon his shoulders and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty

God, eternal father, prince of peace. And these words give comfort to us.

They delight our spirits. They enliven our hearts as we look to Christ and also to that day when we will dwell with him forever in glory.

Give us the courage to proclaim the gospel in these days, for it is only by faith in Jesus Christ that one can be saved, forgiven their sins and given eternal life in this beautiful promised kingdom.

It is in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. This has been When We Understand the

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