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Isaiah 3:1 - 3:26
In
the last Chapter of Isaiah we covered, Chapter 2, we were given by God a clue about the
coming of the Lord, and how those who don’t follow Him would wish to hide themselves "into
the clefts of the rocks" because of their shame. Why are they ashamed? Because
they didn’t follow our Lord. They listened rather to the ramblings of the world
instead getting into our Father’s Word, and thus were not prepared to stand against
Satan who sets himself up in the role of the "another Jesus" (2
Cor.11), and who also comes before the True Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. (See
2 Thess.2; Ezek.28).
I realize that this idea of Satan playing the role of the "another
Jesus" (2 Cor.11:4), coming prior to our True Messiah Jesus Christ is not taught
to many Christians today, but it is written in The Word. This idea is not a doctrine of
men. It is our heavenly Father’s Message throughout the whole Word. It’s no big
mystery, if you study God’s Word verse by verse and chapter by chapter. I feel the
need to comfort my fellow Christian brethren in this idea, so please indulge me for a
little while.
First of all, I well understand the doctrine of the
pre-tribulational "secret rapture", which is taught that Jesus is returning first,
before Satan as Antichrist comes, and that God’s people will be taken out before all
the bad stuff happens on earth. I am also well aware of the verses used to support the
"secret rapture" doctrine, as in 1 Thess. 4:13-17 for one example. I’ve also heard
many smooth presentations of the "secret rapture" doctrine, and usually the good
Christian’s moral and emotional nature is being touched. Then the
"secret rapture" idea is thrown at them like a lightning bolt of truth that mustn’t be refused, and to
use your brain at that moment, instead of ‘feeling the faith’ would be a
sin. Emotion is a very powerful tool in the hand of those who know how to manipulate it.
Many Christians thrive on ‘faith’ emotion, which seems to conflict with using
good common sense that God intended for us to employ. The Truth of the matter, is that our
Heavenly Father said He is against those who "hunt the souls to make them
fly" (Ezekiel 13:20). Being "caught up" in the "air"
of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 does not mean flying away up in the atmospheric clouds. Rather, it
refers to the "last trump" of 1 Corinthians 15, when the flesh body is
cast off at Christ's coming at the "twinkling of an eye", and we all
are revealed in our "spiritual body" (see the Asleep
in Christ studies on 1 Corinthians 15).
Here’s a scenario: A sinner discovers Jesus Christ, and that
He sacrificed Himself upon the cross so that those who would believe on Him should have
eternal life (John 3). That’s a very powerful, blessed, and humbling thought for all
of us daily, and especially for the new Christian who has just turned away from that life
of the ‘dead’. At that point, the new Christian is very vulnerable, in the sense
that they are ready to associate with the body of Christ, and they may think that anyone
teaching Jesus has got to be a real follower of God’s Truth. At that stage they are
still on the ‘milk’ of the Word, and not the ‘strong
meat’ (Hebrews 5). They are like putty in the fingers of the teacher, because
their reasoning in The Word hasn’t reached a level of ‘rightly dividing’
God’s Word. Consider the following verses from 2 Timothy 2:
2 Tim
2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.
16 But
shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And
their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who
concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and
overthrow the faith of some.
The
main point in these verses are this: Some teachers of God’s Word do err in their
understanding of the main part of The Gospel, and these ‘overthrow the faith of
some’ Christians. You might ask, "How is the faith of some overthrown?"
If a new babe in Christ is taught doctrines that are not supported in God’s Word, and
that ‘new babe’, still drinking the ‘milk’ of The Word is not able to
‘rightly divide’, or discern the Truth of The Word, that new Christian’s
faith can be misdirected into following the Antichrist, masquerading as Jesus, when he
(Satan) comes to earth as a false messiah, before the True Jesus Christ Messiah
does, our Lord and Savior The KING (count the Trumpets of Revelation to know when our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ returns. Those seven trumpets are in order of sounding). Their
wonderful new faith which is feeding their emotions, and is God’s Love, is
manipulated into accepting false doctrines of men by deceived or false teachers. And when
that false doctrine is something like, "You don’t have to worry; no one
understands the Book of Revelation; just believe in Jesus and you’ll be saved,"
well, teachings like the above keep that ‘new babe’ in Christ on the ‘milk
bottle.’ Man’s doctrine trying to become the source of that ‘real
milk’ of Christ’s Word, really is nothing more than ‘powdered milk’,
or in the sense of Isaiah 1:22, "...thy wine mixed with water," the
‘wine’ being the Blood of Christ and His Word. The really dangerous
point is when the new Christian, becoming older, still on the ‘bottle’, becomes
a teacher, and the next generation is on the bottle... well, you can imagine the continued
state of confusion. Then a doctrine like: "Don’t worry, Jesus is returning soon,
just believe and you’ll be taken out before Satan comes and all the bad stuff
happens."
Then some would say that "God wouldn’t allow His Word
to be mistaught! That can’t happen!" Read 2 Thess. 2 and you’ll find that
God does allow ‘strong delusion’ for those who don’t read His
Word for themselves, and thereby learn how to expose false teachers. God tells us all the
way back in Judges 2 that because His children wouldn’t ‘hearken’ unto Him,
the only One and True Living God, He would use these ‘false ones’ to prove His
children to see if they would follow Him, or ‘not’. ‘False
teachers’ of God’s Word... There’s the heart of today’s problem in
many Church systems (not all, but many). Most Christians simply are not aware that these
false teachers can exist in some pulpits when God’s Word warns us over and over:
2 Cor 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached,
or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel,
which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
The
verses above are from Paul to the Corinthians. He is saying: "I’m afraid for
you, that you might be beguiled (‘wholly seduced’ in the Greek) by the
serpent (Satan, Rev.20:2), as Eve was through his subtle ways, so that your minds would be
torn away from Jesus’ simple teachings." Since Paul has pointed out a specific
past event, such as Eve being 'beguiled' by the 'serpent' of Genesis, which is Satan, the
deception of Satan is the main subject of Paul's message here. In verse 4, Paul is more
specific by saying in similar words: "For if someone comes preaching (teaching)
another Jesus...
(What 'another Jesus' is Paul talking about? How can there be 'another Jesus'?
Many of my Christian brethren are mis-led on this phrase of 'another Jesus', with
some teaching it just means the same ole' false atheist doctrines of the past, against
Christ. That shallow understanding of this Message here by Paul will rob you of an
important warning of a false one coming in our near future.
The very word 'Antichrist' in the Greek is made
up of two words: 'anti' [Strong's no. 473], which is a primary particle used in contrasting
two things, not against, as in' pro and con' which is how 'anti' is used in English; so
therefore, Greek 'anti' really means 'in place of, or instead of'.
The second part of 'antichrist' is the word 'Christos' in the Greek,
which is in the singular, meaning 'anointed, the Messiah', a word which only
applies to our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus [Strong's no. 5547]. Thus the word "antichrist"
per the Greek means 'the instead of Christ'. There is only One True Messiah or
Anointed, only One Christ (Christos); all others are fake.
Much of God's Word is about how His children choose to
worship 'idols' other than our Father. The word 'antichrist' was given to us in
that same sense as false worship of someone else other than God. In 1 John 2:18 there is a
distinction made between 'the antichrist', and the 'spirit' of
antichrist. In other words, there is a difference between 'the Antichrist' as one being,
and those who have the 'spirit' of 'the Antichrist' who follow or do his (Satan)
works. In Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22, Jesus Himself would refer to 'false Christs
and false prophets' showing 'great signs and wonders', that if it were
possible, would deceive the very elect. The phrase 'false Christs' is singular
in the Greek, meaning one, specifically: 'a spurious Messiah'
(Strong's no. 5580, 'pseudochristos'). Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22 are the only
two places in all of God's Word where this term 'false Christs' (Greek 'pseudochristos')
appears. Since both times they occur out of the mouth of Jesus Himself, He is giving us
ample warning that someone, a particular 'one' (Satan), is going to come upon this earth
playing the role of 'another Jesus', or attempting to be Christ Messiah. And we
know from Revelation 12:7 forward, that Satan and his host are 'cast' out of heaven down
to earth in our near future. Realize also that Revelation 13 speaks of two 'beasts', and
that the "another beast" of Rev.13:11 will work wonders and miracles,
raining fire down from heaven in the sight of men (flesh men), and there's the pointer to
'pseudo messiah', i.e. 'antichrist', the "another Jesus".
Since Jesus Christ returns on the 'seventh' or 'last
trump' as written in I Cor.15 and Rev.11:15, and will conquer Satan's kingdom upon the
earth as written in Revelation 11 and 2 Thessalonians 2, common sense tells us that Satan
as 'antichrist' will come before Jesus does. It doesn't take a whole lot of
common sense to count the number Trumpet which our True Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
returns on (the 'seventh' or 'last trump'; 1 Cor.15; Rev.11:15). God's Word does not
mention an eighth, ninth, or later Trumpet in Revelation, so naturally Antichrist must
do his iniquity on earth prior to the 'seventh' Trumpet return of Christ Jesus. That's as
simple as I can make it. And if you'll notice when the Biblically illiterate preach their
'fly away' pre-tribulational doctrine, they can't seem to keep those seven Trumpets of
Revelation in order. Antichrist and his locust army of angels come on the sixth trumpet,
per Revelation 9:13-16.
(Continuing with the deciphering of 2 Cor.11:4...) , whom we have not preached, or you
receive another spirit (‘another spirit’ other than Christ, i.e.,
Satan’s evil spirit of lies), which you have not received (from us, the
Apostles of Christ), or another gospel (false doctrine teaching to accept the
first messiah, a false messiah who comes that we did not teach you), which you have
not accepted (for you truly intend to accept Jesus Christ), (I’m afraid) ye
might well bear with him." ( or ‘believe that false teacher’ instead
of the True Word)."
Here’s you’re chance, check me out on this
subject of false teachers. Here’s my Gospel ammo: Matt.24:21-27; Acts 20:28-31; 2
Cor.2:17; 2 Cor.11; Gal.1:6-9; Gal.2:4; Col.2:8; Rom.16:17-18; Col.2:18; 2 Thess.2:1-12; 1
Tim.4:1-6; 2 Tim.3:13; 2 Tim.4:2-4; Titus 1:10-16; 2 Peter 2:1-3.
Isaiah Chapter 3:
In Isaiah Chapter 2, we learned how those ‘ashamed’ when Christ
returns, will wish to hide in the rocks and clefts, because they did not follow God and
His Word, but worshipped false idols and the works of their own hands. What is The Word of
God? Christ is That written Word (John 1). Who must we believe on in order to have eternal
life? Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. In order to truly believe on Jesus
Christ, we have to study The Word of God. After baptism, that is the qualification of
being called a Christian. So if you’re not studying His Word, sorry friend,
you’re not a Christian in the true sense of the word. To deny The Word is the same as
denying Jesus Christ. It’s that simple. Let’s get to It. We ask a Word of Wisdom
from our Father in Christ's Name, Amen.
Isa
3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem
and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of
water,
The
words ‘stay’ (mish’en) is masculine for sustenance, and ‘staff’
(mish’enah) is feminine, meaning for ‘support of every kind’.
Jerusalem will be the center of the future ‘one world government’ system of
revived Babylon. It’s political system, the ‘beast’ system of Revelation,
will suffer a ‘deadly wound’ (Rev.13:3). This verse is God referring to that
time just before the Antichrist appears in Jerusalem, a time before Jesus returns, as
written in 2 Thess.2. The Antichrist (Satan) will pull the Babylon system back together
when he appears (Rev.13). The description of this ‘deadly wound’ continues:
Isa
3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent,
and the ancient,
3 The
captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer,
and the eloquent orator.
This situation shows their existence without God. Their ‘bread’ therefore, is
cut off. In the deeper spiritual sense, this ‘bread’ is The Word of God, for in
Amos 8, God said that He would send a ‘famine’ in the land in the latter days,
not for ‘bread’ or ‘water’, but ‘of hearing the words of the
Lord.’ Without that Bread of Life, which is The Word of God, utter confusion
exists.
Isa
3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall
rule over them.
The
‘princes’ are leaders, spiritual and political. They rule and lead the
people with ‘baby brains’ instead of with the Truth of The Word. Many of these
leaders will allow any philosophical system to flourish, as long as it benefits their
egos. Others, uneducated in the strength of God's Word, seek other so-called 'experts' to
make the decisions for them.
Isa
3:5 And the People shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by
his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base
against the honourable.
This is the state when men with ‘babes’ minds rule. ‘Ancient’
means the elder, being a spiritual leader of the people. The word ‘base’
refers to the criminal. Well, does this state exist in Jerusalem and the world today? How
much of the land of Israel is being chipped away and given to the Palestinian Authority
today? Are we facing this same situation in America also? Does your paycheck buy less and
less? How much are we taxed? How much of our Constitution still stands unaltered, and how
much is it followed? What of our Justice system, are criminals really punished today? How
many seem to get out of jail faster than they got in? How many businesses really deal
fairly with you today? Is it common for many, when seeing evil done by others and seeming
to get away with it, to go out and do likewise?
Isa
3:6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying,
"Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under
thy hand:"
This verse is saying: "Look, you’ve got on a nice three-piece suit. You look
intelligent. You rule over us, and take over this ruin or mess we’re in." I ask
you, what’s wrong with that statement? Which would you rather have as your leader, a
man in a three-piece suit with an education that denies God, or a man wearing
workman’s clothes ‘sealed’ with The Word of God in his brain? That’s
their state of confusion. Their reasoning (and it’s really prevalent today), is based
on ‘looks’, and not on any real substance of the Truth. The advertising industry
is a billion dollar a year enterprise, and it exists just to get you to accept and buy a
product. Advertising offers no 'real' product made with material substance; you can't eat
or drink it to live; it will in no way sustain your flesh body's necessities, except of
course, as a job. Do you feel that many prospective representatives use modern
psychological advertising ploys, just to get elected? I'm sure in times past, such as in
the days of Davy Crockett, those who ran for office relied more on their own truthfulness
and simple speaking (instead of words written by others in a speech) than on today's
'plotted' phrases designed to mislead the populace. Many think it's OK since everyone else
is doing it. Well, 'looks' with no substance 'just don't get it' with our heavenly Father.
Many also have used the plan to appear 'down-home' and simple in order to get
votes and sell you things also. So how do we discern someone who has real Truth between
someone that has only 'looks'? By understanding our Father's Word, that's how.
Isa
3:7 In that day shall he swear, saying, "I will not be an healer; for in
my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the People."
Again, this ‘bread’ is the knowledge of The Word, The Bread of Life,
Jesus Christ. The proper ‘clothing’ is the ‘Gospel Armour’ of
Ephesians 6. In this verse, they have neither!
Isa
3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and
their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of His glory.
Their works and their sayings are proof of their being against God’s Word. The Lord
is ‘provoked’, and He is hurt by their doings. And today in America and Europe,
we have leaders that are on the socialist boat. Socialism is communism, there is no
difference. It is against the principles of the founding fathers of the great Christian
nations. It is, against God. By lying to the peoples, saying "peace and
prosperity", when we are worse off economically, and financially today more than in
any other point in our nation’s history; a system of lies from ‘babe’
leaders to people with ‘babes’ minds, has aided in bringing these problems upon
us. Any social system that keeps the people from thinking for themselves, and doing for
themselves, cutting off ingenuity and invention, will fail! Our Pilgrim forefathers at
Jamestown learned this the hard way. Their first year of raising crops and feeding the
village was based on socialism, in other words, even if you didn’t pull your load of
work, you still got the same amount of food as the others. Everything was held in common. Many starved that first year. The next year, things changed. If you
didn’t work, you didn’t eat, and all that you gained in excess, was yours to
sell. They had an abundance of prosperity that next year, and no one starved.1
Isa
3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare
their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded
evil unto themselves.
It
shows on their faces! They don’t even feel shame! They're proud of their ‘gay
rights’, feminist movements to break the family structure up, and their socialist
idealism that leads to atheism, and the sins of Sodom!
Isa
3:10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him:
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
The
‘righteous’ follower of God will have their good reward. They even have
His protection while under this evil hand of authority that exists in the world.
Isa
3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the
reward of his hands shall be given him.
The
word ‘Woe’ undoubtedly is a curse. We’ll get to the
‘woes’ in the Book of Isaiah that God warns us of in a later chapter.
Isa 3:12
As for My People, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O
My People, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy
paths.
These are the leaders with ‘baby minds’ again, that oppress the people. ‘Women’
as used here, is meant in the sense of men that are weak, lacking the intestinal fortitude
of a man. It is not against women.
Isa
3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14
The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of His People, and the princes
thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in
your houses.
The
word ‘plead’ in verse 13 is Hebrew ‘riyb’ meaning to
‘contend with’ or ‘rebuke’. God is not pleading or
begging them to change, He is rebuking them. In verse 14, God is rebuking the elders
(ancients of His People) for taking from the oppressed (poor), or stealing what little the
poor have. Is this happening today? Do you know what financial ‘bailout’ is? It
is the method of stealing the peoples wealth to insure a banks bad dealings, so that the
bank never sees a loss. Guess who approves the funds to support large scale bailouts? Our
Congress. They authorize our Federal Reserve (which is a 'private' institution) to print
'fiat' money (paper money not backed by any coin) to help large bailouts of banks (Chase
Manhattan), and corporations (Chrysler for example). This causes inflation of our dollar,
in other words, makes the dollar worth less. The taxpayer is at the end of the food chain
of course. We see the change directly by prices going up. Many people think that
businesses are raising prices because of greed (not that some may do this), but the real
reason is that the dollar is worth less after one of these large bailouts (millions or
billions of dollars), making businesses raise prices to balance the value of the dollar,
as it goes down.
How much does a U.S. double-eagle $20 gold piece cost in paper
currency? I’d say around $350 - $430 on today’s market. Ever wonder why that
gold piece isn’t worth just twenty dollars of paper money? This is a hidden tax that
even Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Andrew Jackson battled against. That’s
why our Constitution was written to give Congress the power to ‘regulate’ coin
money, not paper. Paper (fiat) money is illegal according to our Constitution. (Do some
research on our Federal Reserve Bank history to find out more).
The financial state of the day now, is a global economy.
Because of GATT and Nafta, we bail out countries, and foreign corporations, instead of
just our own financial institutions in America. Soon, we will be in a one world currency
situation. The name of the game is, the bleeding of America, and the free Christian
nations. Our own leaders would say that we’ve been a strong superpower too long,
having the advantage of resources and wealth too long, and now it’s time to equalize
that wealth, sending it to poorer nations, atheistic, and communist type nations. The
wealth of the Christian nations are the ‘blessings’ of God to His people. That
is why America and its Christian brothers have held the greatest resources. If the
atheistic nations would follow God, they too would be blessed in resources. Instead, we
now have leaders that are trying to play God, deciding who is to receive ‘the
blessing’, against God’s Will! The true state of affairs from this is that God
is removing His blessings from America and the Christian nations accordingly as they fall
away from Him. The atheistic and idolatrous nations are just as destitute as ever; the
relocation of wealth hasn’t really made all that much of a difference, even though
they'll show you all kinds of trumped up paper stating the contrary.
Isa 3:15
"What mean ye that ye beat My People to pieces, and grind the
faces of the poor?" saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
"What
do you mean by ‘crushing’ my people? You act as though they are nothings, and
something to play with." That is the spirit of what God is saying in this verse to
the ‘elders’ and political leaders of His people. Hey, our Father is letting us
know that He is aware of their evil doings; nothing will slip by Him. All will be
accounted for in due time. God's People have been given the Victory. It's all just a
matter of time, so be patient.
Isa 3:16
Moreover the LORD saith, "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and
walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go,
and making a tinkling with their feet:
The word ‘their’ in this verse is masculine, although it is referring to
‘daughters’. It is often used to refer to ‘women who act as
men’.2 God uses ‘daughters’ in the sense of this
verse, as meaning His people as His Bride. So, ‘their’ in this sense
refers to God’s people as playing the ‘harlot’, parading down the
street like a ‘professional’, ‘haughty’, with ‘wanton
eyes’, and ‘making a tinkling with their feet.’
Isa 3:17
Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the
daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts."
This verse is normally taught that God will make the ‘daughters’ bald,
but the word ‘scab’ is ‘caphach’ in Hebrew, meaning to
‘scrape out’. In this sense, God is saying that because His people
play the ‘harlot’, He will ‘scrape out’ the normal functioning
of the body, allowing diseases that reveal the ‘secret parts’, or
private parts, which mark the reason for the disease, and that note the type of sin, i.e.,
fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc. This meaning is of course, spiritual also.
Anytime God's People worship anything other than Him, they're playing the 'spiritual
harlot'. Can you relate to the idea of 'spiritual diseases' which are the result of
playing the 'spiritual harlot' with Satan?
Isa
3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their
tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their
round tires like the moon,
The
word ‘bravery’ is 'tiph'arah' in the Hebrew, meaning ‘finery’
or ‘ornaments’ (Strong's no. 8597). ‘In that day’
refers to the Lord’s Day. God is going to do away with all this Sodom and Gomorrah
garb.
Isa
3:19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the
earrings,
The
word ‘tablets’ here, is made up of two words in the Hebrew; ‘bayith’
meaning ‘houses’ (Strong's no.1004), and ‘nephesh’
meaning ‘breath or soul’ (Strong's no.5315). Essentially, this means
‘houses of the soul’. This gives yet another link to these verses that God is
referring to these ornaments more in the ‘spiritual idolatry’ sense, and not
physical defamation of the flesh, so don't go on a rampage against those who wear these
ornaments.
Isa
3:21 The rings, and nose jewels,
22 The
changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
God
continues with the description of His people playing the ‘harlot’, spiritually
by following other false gods, and by their way of wicked living.
Isa
3:23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
‘Glasses’ are ‘mirrors’. Might this imply ‘mirrors’
of illusion? ‘Mirrors’ to that other spiritual realm, the psychic realm?
Hypnotic mirrors? Mirrors to ‘discover their secret parts’? You decide
how far might this application of mirrors apply. Now all this description by The LORD is
for purposes of ‘apostasy.’ His children have gone away from Him and worship
false ‘gods’, of wood, stone, metal, etc. Real physical ‘idol worship’
makes use of items that are a natural part of God’s creation. The difference is how
they are applied. The use of everyday objects in idol worship are perverted for other
unnatural uses. There is nothing wrong with women dressing in fine apparel and wearing
fine jewelry, all according to decency. God even described these objects on His Bride in
Ezek. 16. He is using all these objects as an analogy of how His people have left Him for
another.
Isa
3:24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there
shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and
instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
The
word ‘rent’ means a ‘rope’. A rope of dishonor or captivity,
by false things. A ‘stomacher’ is a sash or girdle. ‘Burning’
alludes to being ‘ashamed’ for worshipping the false Messiah, Satan, instead
staying in the ‘field’ doing God’s work, and also staying a ‘chaste
virgin’ for the Bridegroom Who is Christ when He returns. Those who will be ashamed,
will be playing the spiritual ‘harlot’ all the way up to the time Christ
returns. Remember that Christ taught ‘woe to those who are with child’?
(See Matt.24; Mark 13; Luke 21). That means playing the ‘harlot’ with Satan,
thinking he is Jesus, and being deceived in that sense means you will jump in bed with
Satan, spiritually, thinking he is Jesus, making you a spiritual ‘harlot’, and
you will not be a ‘spiritual virgin’ when the True Jesus Christ returns, but
instead will be ‘with child’, a child of Satan (spiritually speaking). This is
what all the analogies of the ‘bride’ of Christ, being ‘espoused’ to
Christ, the ‘ten virgins’ with the ‘lamps’, the ‘wedding
feast’, being ‘barren’ and without child, etc. refer to, in the spiritual
sense. They all tie together in God’s Word, from Old Testament prophecy, all the way
through the Book of Revelation.
Isa
3:25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Without the ‘Gospel Armour’ that Paul referred to in Romans 13 and Ephesians 6,
God’s children become as spiritual ‘harlots’, falling by Satan’s
sword, the sword of lies of deception. The spiritual war between God and Satan is the
‘war’ in this verse.
Isa
3:26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate
shall sit upon the ground.
The
idea of verse 25 continues. Satan is the ‘abomination of desolation’
that Daniel and Jesus Christ referred to. This word ‘desolate’ refers
to that idea. When Satan sets himself up as God in the Temple of God (that Temple is in
Jerusalem, so be watching; it’s going to be rebuilt in the last generation),
‘proclaiming’ himself to be God (see II Thess.2), this is the ‘abomination
that maketh desolate’ that Daniel spoke of (Daniel 11:31; 12:11). Christ would
refer to this ‘abomination of desolation’ with the added words, ‘standing
where it ought not’ (Mark 13:14). This verse 26 of Isaiah marks that condition
in Jerusalem (‘she’ in this verse refers to Jerusalem), and the state
of God’s apostate children that have turned away from Him, and of course, this part
about antichrist as the ‘desolation’ has not happened yet, so this is all future
to us yet.
These 3 Chapters of Isaiah mark the ‘apostasy’ of
God’s children. The fact that this is history in Isaiah’s day should not deter
you from seeing that much of it is future to us still. Several of the verses covered in
these 3 Chapters are unmistakably about a time that has been slowly unfolding, and a time
that has not totally arrived as of yet. So don’t let any man tell you that the
information in this Book is all past history, for that is a lie. If you hear one saying
that these events are already past, mark that person, for they are deceived, or, are
trying to deceive others. If you have read and understood these first three Chapters of
Isaiah, and someone says it was all only historical and is past, you will know that person
has not read it, and has instead been listening to other doctrines of men. That principle
applies to any other part of God’s Word also. So in this sense, deception by those
who adhere to men’s traditions become impossible for you, for you have allowed your
Father to speak to you.
We’ll begin the fourth
Chapter of Isaiah next time.
Peace be with you, in Christ
Jesus.
Dave Ramey.
Footnotes:
1
Leonard Read (1898-1983). Founder of The Foundation for Economic Education. Article
delivered as a speech in November 1983 issue of The Freeman.
2 The
Companion Bible. Kregel Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI., 1990, p.935, margin note.
All references to
"Strong's nos." are from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, PC Study
Bible, Biblesoft, 1993-1996.
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