eschatology, God is Reasonable (Is.1-2)

The book of Isaiah is quite heavy; and it can definitely appear complicated, because the events that were actually happening at that time are interspersed with prophesies which jump back and forth a lot between the different events of the end times.  At first I thought I would just make one devotion out of all the verses that are applicable to each end-time-event in a chronological order, but now I'm thinking I'm going to try to keep each day/devotion as one chronological "end-times-story-line".

IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE:  that usually whenever the term "in that day" and whenever the term "in the last days" are used, these are referring to the end times (either the Tribulation and/or the Millennium, or any specific events during those "ages").  It's actually really very clear, when it's negative - it's talking about the Tribulation.  When it is positive - it's talking about the Millennium.  (And when the events for "in that day" don't line up with the Tribulation events, then it is referring to an event that is about to happen to them - which has already happened.  And sometimes these prophecies can be two-fold:  something applying to both the near future AND the far future.)

So, the book of Isaiah begins with an overview of what has happened (Israel has turned away from God)...

(Isaiah 1:1-4, 9)  The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth;
For the Lord speaks,
“Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have revolted against Me.
3 “An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel does not know,
My people do not understand.”

4 Alas, sinful nation,
People weighed down with iniquity,
Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away from Him...

9 Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left us a few survivors,
We would be like Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.

Because of God's promises (the Abrahamic covenant specifically), God will always make sure that there will remain enough Israelites alive in order to preserve all 12 tribes.  So the next portion of this prophecy of Isaiah is a plea for Israel to turn back to God and be saved (personally and as a nation) so that they may be blessed...

 (Isaiah 1:16-20) “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
19 “If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;
20 “But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Israel does not turn from their evil ways, and God already knew that the Israelites would reject their Messiah when He came to earth the first time - so now the prophecy describes God's intentions for the Tribulation.  God has always known that unbelieving Israelites and other unbelievers will go through this time period, which is a time meant to not only judge the nations, but to weed out the unbelieving Israelites...

 (Isaiah 1:24-28)  Therefore the Lord God of hosts,
The Mighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries
And avenge Myself on My foes.
25 “I will also turn My hand against you,
And will smelt away your dross as with lye
And will remove all your alloy.
26 “Then I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the city of righteousness,
A faithful city.”

27 Zion will be redeemed with justice
And her repentant ones with righteousness.
28 But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together,
And those who forsake the Lord will come to an end.

The Israelites who do recognize the signs (the judgments of the Tribulation) will then see and believe that Jesus was and is their Messiah and await His return.  Those Israelites (and anyone else) who become believers during the Tribulation will enjoy the blessings of the Millennium and see all covenants fulfilled.

In this next portion of scripture, Isaiah gives a very clear prophesy and description as to how it will be in the Millennial kingdom.  Jesus will be here on earth to offer face-to-face counseling, and there will be a thousand years of peace...

(Isaiah 2:1-4)  The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Now it will come about that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
3 And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.

Today's takeaway:  I love verse 18, where the Lord says.
“Come now, and let us reason together,”

I know how we talk about faith being a leap and all, but God is so real and so reasonable!  Even as a kid, I wanted to reason things out.  "Now, WHY would God tell us to do this or not do that???  WHY???  I need to figure this out.  It HAS to make sense, or forget it."  And - of course - God and His way makes perfect sense!  The more I walk with God, the more I'm blown away by His brilliance.  And - He (God of the universe) - wants us to reason with Him TOGETHER!!!  He wants to talk with us.  And so, I also love the following highlighted verse (James 1:5), and apply it to my life - wherever - whenever...

(James 1:1-8)  James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.