eschatology, Day of Reckoning (Is.2-3)

In the second chapter of Isaiah, we find a description of how it will be at the end of the Tribulation, at the battle of Armageddon (Jesus' second coming).  Then in chapter 3, we also find a few descriptions of what will happen in the Tribulation itself (ie. lack of bread [Revelation 6:6], lack of water [Revelation 11:6], child will turn against parents [Matthew 10:21], etc.)...

(Isaiah 2:10-21)  Enter the rock and hide in the dust
From the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.
11 The proud look of man will be abased
And the loftiness of man will be humbled,
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

12 For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against everyone who is proud and lofty
And against everyone who is lifted up,
That he may be abased.

13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up,
Against all the oaks of Bashan,
14 Against all the lofty mountains,
Against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 Against every high tower,
Against every fortified wall,
16 Against all the ships of Tarshish
And against all the beautiful craft.
17 The pride of man will be humbled
And the loftiness of men will be abased;
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18 But the idols will completely vanish.
19 Men will go into caves of the rocks
And into holes of the ground
Before the terror of the Lord
And the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble.
20 In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats
Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
Which they made for themselves to worship,
21 In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs
Before the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble.

22 Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For why should he be esteemed?

(Isaiah 3:1-12)  For behold, the Lord God of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread
And the whole supply of water;
2 The mighty man and the warrior,
The judge and the prophet,
The diviner and the elder,
3 The captain of fifty and the honorable man,
The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.
4 And I will make mere lads their princes,
And capricious children will rule over them,
5 And the people will be oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor;
The youth will storm against the elder
And the inferior against the honorable.
6 When a man lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,
And these ruins will be under your charge,”
7 He will protest on that day, saying,
“I will not be your healer,
For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;
You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”
8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord,
To rebel against His glorious presence.
9 The expression of their faces bears witness against them,
And they display their sin like Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to them!
For they have brought evil on themselves.
10 Say to the righteous that it will go well with them,
For they will eat the fruit of their actions.
11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,
For what he deserves will be done to him.
12 O My people! Their oppressors are children,
And women rule over them.
O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray
And confuse the direction of your paths.

Chapter 3 then goes back to describe the very end of the Armageddon battle (which is also described in Matthew 25, where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats)... 

(Isaiah 3:13-15)  The Lord arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
“It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 “What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord God of hosts.

Today's takeaway:  as Christians, we are to be advocates for the poor and defenseless.  We need to have compassion and love for ALL people, and definitely have love for our fellow Christians who are our "family".  If we don't - we need to do an attitude-check.  Love and compassion does not come naturally.  I sometimes volunteer at a youth center drop-in, and at times I find myself pleading with God, "Lord, I do love these kids - but - help me love these kids!  Really help me love these kids as You do!!!"

The world's definition of love is based on feelings, which are fickle.  Feelings come and go.  That is why the world should know we are Christians by our love!!!  Because we should be experiencing and realizing that God's love is unconditional, sacrificial... (the Greek word for this love is AGAPE).  Therefore we need to CHOOSE to love.  We need to CHOOSE to allow God to do that for us...

(Colossians 3:12-17)  So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;  13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

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.

eschatology, An Appointed Time for Everything (Ecc.3,12)

In light of eschatology, the following is a kind of an understatement, but the following does confirm that - there IS a time for everything!!!...

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-17)  There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—

2 A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

9 What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. 15 That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.

There are appointed times of judgment!  For unbelievers - there is the White Throne Judgment when all their sins will be judged.  For believers - there is the Bema Seat when all their good deeds done with pure motives will be judged and rewarded (because all their sins have been forgiven and remembered no more)...

(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)  The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Today's takeaway:  "fearing God" is the act of believing in Him and His work on the cross, believing that we are sinners in need of saving and in need of forgiveness.  THEN God begins to work on our hearts which produces the "obedience."  The laws and commandments were given to us, not just to guide us toward healthier lives and relationships with God and each other, but to also show us God's standards - that we on our own can never live up to God's standards - that WE NEED GOD to get to God!!!

Isn't it curious how mankind will complain about Christianity because they THINK it's all about do's and don't's, but then make up their own religions which have huge lists of do's and don't's????  Just like the Pharisees did!  Then when Jesus came in order to bring mankind forgiveness and grace, the Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the Law - which were actually laws they had added to God's laws.  THEY thought that they could call the shots and determine what God should and shouldn't do.  But the Pharisees are not the only ones to become legalistic.

This year marks 500 years since the start of the Reformation when Martin Luther pinned his 94 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church and sent the original to Albert of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz (October 31, 1517).   As a monk and professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany, Martin Luther got his hands on a Bible and started reading.  Wow!  God's forgiveness and grace is FREE???

Back then, it was rare for anyone to have a copy of the Bible to read for themselves.  Therefore the church-and-state could abuse their powers and manipulate the people with religion.  We need more money?  Let's tell the people that they have to buy these trinkets in order to get to heaven.  We need even more money?  Let's tell them that they can buy their loved ones out of... purgatory!  Sure, let's make up a last-chance-waiting-place between earth and hell.

Now several men, after hearing the Truth, began to challenge church-and-state, and led many people to the Lord.  There was a great movement, as well as great persecution for these "dissenters".  What is so sad, is that after many who had escaped and went off to other areas of the world to start new churches - became legalistic... After standing up for God's truths and suffering for them - they themselves soon began adding their own laws to God's words.  This should never be! 

So, if someone says that it is a sin to drive a red car - and you're not sure - ask them which Bible verses support that.  If a church says that they have the only correct interpretation of the Bible and you should just trust them on that - DO NOT!!!  Find a church that preaches the Truth, and a church who encourages you to search God's words for yourself in order to keep them accountable, and keep you grounded and steadfast!  As Christians, we have been set free from the law...

(Galatians 5:1)  It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

(Ephesians 4:11-16)  ...He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.  14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

eschatology, There is Victory (Prov.21)

Proverbs is a book about wisdom: WISDOM IS the fear of the Lord - loving God's words - being obedient!  But let's just cut to the chase, these two verses found in Proverbs tells us (in context with everything else) how it's all going to end...

(Proverbs 21: 29-31)  A wicked man displays a bold face, But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.  30 There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel against the Lord.  31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the Lord.

Wow!  So today's read is short and straight to the point.  We know the ending!  Since the beginning of Satan's fall, he has been working nonstop to get mankind on his side in order to deny, defy, challenge and fight God and His children.  These verses are applicable all the time, but there are a few very specific events:

The LAST BATTLE: which happens at the end of the Millennium.

The BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: which happens at the end of the Tribulation.

The CRUCIFIXION: which happened when mankind thought they could kill God, but Jesus rose again after three days and had the victory over death and sin, giving us the victory in Him when we believe!

And THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE: which is happening all the time.  (We could go through the Bible and find a long list of examples, but we also need to realize that this battle is still happening right now.)

Today's takeaway:  if you don't think we are in a battle, then you've already lost.  Be on God's side - and you WILL win.  Wisdom is being on God's side!!!  So HOW are we to "fight"?  It's very simple, allow God to do the fighting for us (once I'm finished this Bible read-through on eschatology, I'm thinking the next topic with be on spiritual warfare)...

(Ephesians 6:10-18)  Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints