58:12-14 & 9:8-2 |
56.1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
56.2
56.3
56.4
56.5
56.6
56.7
56.8 . .
58.12
58.13
58.14 .
9.8
9.9
9.10
9.11
9.12
9.13
9.14
9.15
9.16
9.17
9.18
9.19
9.20
9.21
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The Sabbath, the center of God's law, will be an important part of the end time drama. It is the sign of
our covenant relationship with God.
Jer.17.27
But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the
Sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
This message calls us to worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water. Compare this to the 4th commandment in Exodus 20.10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, . . . Daniel prophecied that there would be a movement against God's holy covenant (Daniel 11:30-32). Isaiah 56 clearly links the holy covenant with the Sabbath! Isaiah also shows that God wants to gather all His people together— no matter what nationality or back ground and have them worshiping Him and receiving His blessings. To come and worship in His "house of prayer". Revelation 14 calls for God's people to "come out" of false systems and take hold of the EVERLASTING COVENANT, and identifies the saints as those who keep the commandments of God. Oh, someone will say, but that is all old covenant stuff, the Sabbath was a sign of the old, obsolete covenant-- we are under the new covenant!" No, Revelation does not SAY the angel is preaching a radically new covenant-- it says THE EVERLASTING COVENANT, or EVERLASTING GOSPEL. It does not say the dispensational covenant-- it says THE EVERLASTING COVENANT.
I would urge you to read this carefully. For Isaiah is speaking, not of the old covenant, but of the EVERLASTING COVENANT. It bears the same identification marks as the covenant commonly called "the new covenant"! Isaiah 55:3,5 Come to Me, hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. ..nations will be called whom you do not know...Isaiah mentions the EVERLASTING COVENANT seven times: 42:6; 49:8; 54:10, 55:3, 56:4,6; 59:21, 61:8 Note here that the Sabbath is particularly stressed under the everlasting covenant. The Sabbath is considered as being one of the CHIEF evidences of "holding fast" God's covenant! Under the Mosaic law, strangers and eunuchs were excluded from the full enjoyment of the privileges granted to Israel. But the prophet Isaiah is speaking of a covenant that declares a time is coming when these restrictions will cease. The Jews considered themselves the favored people; not to be an Israelite was not to belong to the favored people of God. The Jews had come more and more to regard themselves as superior by divine right to every other people upon the earth; yet they had not been careful to maintain their separate and holy character by rendering obedience to all the commandments of God.Now the prophet Isaiah declares that the stranger (the Gentile as well as the eunuchs were excluded in the old economy) who will love and obey God shall enjoy the privileges that have belonged exclusively to the chosen people. Hitherto, circumcision and a strict observance of the ceremonial law had been the conditions upon which Gentiles could be admitted to the congregation of Israel; but these distinctions were to be abolished by the gospel. "Every one that keeps the Sabbath from polluting it, and takes hold of my covenant, even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer;"What we see here is a plain statement that God's moral law is the standard even for the Gentiles! The Sabbath is the sign, even for the Gentiles. The covenant which Isaiah refers to in Isaiah 55:3 is: The everlasting covenant which I (God) will make with you. This covenant has the SABBATH as the very CENTER! (As we plainly see in Isaiah 56) The gospel that was to go far beyond the Jewish economy has the SABBATH as the very sign of belonging to God in this covenant relationship. Malachi 3:1 Tells us that Christ is the messenger of the covenant, the covenant of "life and peace that was given them that they might ...be reverent before His Name" Mal. 2:5 Eph. 2:17-19 He (Christ) came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near....now you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having benen built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone.The world may consider God's true children as outcasts, but He will gather them. When He comes to take his people to His Holy Mountain, His eternal kingdom, note well whom He gathers.
Isaiah 56:6 "Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant..."In Isaiah 58:12-14 God calls His people to rebuild the old waste places . . . to re-establish Sabbath Keeping. Satan has torn down the Sabbath. A gap has been made in the law. The enemy is attacking. God is seeking for people to repair the gap.
The devil attacks the Sabbath in two ways: God declares that if we will return unto Him with all the heart, we shall be called repairers of the breach, the restorers of paths to dwell in. Then he distinctly shows us what this breach is. "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,"--for people have been trampling it under their feet as a thing despised,--"then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." This prophecy is for us TODAY, when the man of sin, the false religious system, has attempted to make void this central requirement in God's law, and caused the people to trample under foot the original Sabbath of our Creator God, and in its place exalt the venerable day of the sun. When the Christian world set aside God's holy Sabbath, and in its place accepted this counterfeit sun day, unsanctioned by a single "Thus saith the Lord," they are acknowledging that the Papacy has authority over and above God Himself. They are encouraging disobedience to God. The rejection of the Sabbath has led to the rejection of the whole law, and thousands of professed Christians now boldly declare it void. There were two governing principles which were established in Eden before mankind even fell,--the Sabbath and the marriage relation. These were not nullified after paradise. Those who love and observe the Sabbath, and maintain the purity of the marriage institution, thereby prove that their love for people, and their love for God is of higher origin than earthly love, it is the love which God Himself has placed within their hearts. They, who by teaching or example, lessen the obligation of these sacred institutions are the enemies of both God and man. The bible declares that they are "serving other gods". (Deut. 28:14) Romans 6.16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?The breach made in the law when the Sabbath was changed by man, is to be repaired. God's remnant people, are to continue the reformation, they are to show that the law of God is the foundation of all enduring reform and that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is to stand as a memorial of creation, a constant reminder of the power of God. The message is one of clearly presenting the necessity of obedience to all the commandments of the Decalogue.
But now, as we move into Isaiah 9 we see something interesting happening. Isaiah has just revealed that a great light in the person of Jesus, would flood the world and convict people. 9.2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.Christ came to break the power of sin and offer life! But note the response:
In Isaiah 9:9,10 We see these professed Christians say in the pride and arrogance of their hearts: "O.K , we will rebuild the gap in the wall! But we will do it our way, not God's way!The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. They don't want to do it God's way. They want to use their own materials —they change things. They don't rebuild Sabbath, they impose Sunday. They tell us their new ideas are so much better than the old way. No more little bricks— now they have hewn stones, declaring everyday is the day of rest with the Lord, no more little pockets of time within a weekly cycle. Now they have the supposed cedar of rest from following God's commandments, not the sycamore of faithful obedience. BUT GOD IS NOT PLEASED! Because of their arrogance God sends the enemies to come and devour them with "open mouths." Why would such a strong condemnation be pronounced upon a people who seemingly are doing a good thing? They are rebuilding the broken wall! What are Christians doing today? They are moving with powerful steps to ecumenical union with a political agenda to "save" the world. They are doing exactly what Isaiah 8 told us not to do, trying to form a political confederacy. Not only have they used the wrong materials for rebuilding the wall, they also long for political legislative force to make everyone line up to the codes they have declared will save the world from disaster.
Daniel 7:25 (The Papacy=the first beast) will think to change times and laws.Therefore the Lord can not bless their reforms. He cannot change that which was found in the investigative judgment. That they were weighed in the balances of heaven and found wanting. Why? Because they refused to enter into God's covenant. They are depending on their own works and reasoning, not following God. Even though they may speak great swelling words which sound righteous, if they insist on doing things their way instead of God's way they are on the road to destruction.
The people refuse to turn to him. ( Rev. 16:11)They repented not of their deeds. (Rev. 9:20-21) They repented not of their false worship or of their murders and sorceries.Therefore the Lord will cut them off — head and tail — leaders and followers, ancient and honorable — papacy, and the prophet who teaches lies — apostate Protestantism.
The leaders have led the people to destruction by their false teachings. Rev. 19.20 And the beast (papacy) was taken, and with him the false prophet (apostate protestant leaders) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.There is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents, but God can have no pleasure in them who say they are His but refuse to yield themselves to His will. Hypocrisy is a terrible thing, it not only deceives the individual into thinking his state is better than it is and keeps him from reaching out for victory, but it also spreads terrible darkness to all who come in contact with these individuals.
Rev. 14.9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Yet, the religious confederation will decree that those who stand firm against their ecumenical dreams must be put to death.
Notice in Isaiah, it will be tribes from within Isreal who attacked-- so it will be in the end. The so called Christian world, including many apostate SDA's, who fight most against God's commandment keeping people.
But remember, God's hand is outstretched still -- to the offender it is a hand to be feared as it deals out justice, but to those who truely love and serve God, that hand is most welcome, for it is the hand that lifts us from this life of sin and death, washes us, cleanses us, redeems us, sanctifies and glorifies us.
Now the question is, Will we ally ourselves with those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus? Will we cease to trample upon the Sabbath of the Lord our God? We want to be sure that we are the children of light; that we are following in the footsteps of our Redeemer.
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Isaiah 5--The Wild Grapes
Isaiah 8--Avoid the Confederacy