Isaiah Coming Attractions ~ Part 1 Chapter 2:1-5 T he orthodox Jew is looking for the coming of the Messianic age, the restored kingdom of Israel. He correctly understands the passages of Tanach, such as the ones we examine this morning. He is looking for the coming of Messiah. He recognizes it is the Messiah who will rule during this period. But, sadly, he doesn t understand who the Messiah is. The following is taken from Mashiach The Principle of Mashiach and the Messianic Era in Jewish Law and Tradition. Mashiach and the Messianic age are the ultimate end of the world, preconceived from the very beginning, for which the world was created. Mashiach, therefore is one of the things that precede the creation. This refers, however, to the principle and soul of Mashiach. On the actual level of the physical world s reality, Mashiach is a human being. Mashiach is a human being, born in normal fashion of human parents. The only qualification about his origins is that he is a descendant of King David, through the lineage of his son Solomon. From his birth onwards his righteousness will increase continually, and by virtue of his deeds he will merit sublime levels of spiritual perfection. Any time is a potential time for the coming of Mashiach. This does not mean, however, that at the appropriate time he will suddenly emerge from Heaven to appear on earth. On the contrary: Mashiach is already on earth, a human being of great saintly status (a tzadik) appearing and existing in every generation. In every generation is born a progeny of Judah fit to be Israel s Mashiach! On the particular day that marks the end of the galut, when Mashiach will redeem Israel, the unique pre-existing soul of Mashiach stored in Gan Eden from aforetimes will descend and be bestowed upon that tzadik. 1 It is obvious from the subtext the author is writing to counteract the teachings of Christianity. What we see is a mixture of an accurate understanding of scripture with mythology. But the core truth, the coming of Messiah and the kingdom, is correct. This approach also allows for the forming of a movement around any Jewish saint claiming that individual is the anticipated Mashiach. We have seen this occur a number of times over the last years. I Introduction Verse 1 II Preview of the Kingdom Verses 2-5 III Preview of the Day of the Lord Verses 6-22 IV Conclusion Chapter 1 was an episode of Law and Order. God had called Judah into court, charging the nation with rebellion against Him. The religiosity of the people had become an insult to God because it was form and content. 1 Schochet, Jacob Immanuel, Mashiach The Principle of Mashiach and the Messianic Era in Jewish Law and Tradition, S.I.E., New York, NY, 5752-1992, p. 37-39.
But the message of Chapter 1 is also a message of God s mercy and a promise of restoration. God desires repentance and turning to Him. When Israel does, when Judah does, when the believer does, the relationship and fellowship with God is restored. Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land (Isaiah 1:18-19). But there is also a warning that without repentance, where there is still rebellion there will be judgment. And the next section expands on the themes of mercy, restoration and judgment. It moves from a discussion of possible restoration in 1 to the picture of a restored nation at the beginning of 2. Verse 1: In fact verse 1 actually replicates verse 1 in Chapter 1 excluding the names of the kings. Where the previous verse serves and introduction for the entire book, this verse is an introduction to Chapters 2-4. Aspects of these following verses are clearly prophetic. There may be disagreement over their exact meanings, but the easiest way to understand them is to accept they mean what they say. Dr. McGee explains it this way: When Isaiah speaks of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem, he means exactly these people and places. Judah means Judah, Israel means Israel, and Jerusalem means Jerusalem. If Isaiah uses figures of speech, he will make it perfectly clear that they are figures of speech. The prophet will let you know when he is making a different application. Beware of the fallacy of spiritualizing prophecy in conformity to some outmoded theological cliché which fits into some church s program. 2 Verses 2-4: Which brings us to a well know prophecy. This is well know because, among other reasons, it appears we find the same vision in another passage of scripture. Consider the prophet Micah s vision. In the last days the mountain of the LORD s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore (Micah 4:1-3). We should probably take a moment to consider the suggested explanations behind the parallel passages. Oswalt notes: 2 McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 3, Isaiah, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN 1982, p. 194-195. ) 36 (
The suggestions can be grouped into three categories: (1) Micah borrowed from Isaiah; (2) Isaiah borrowed from Micah; (3) both borrowed from some common source. The possibility of literary dependence need not cause concern among those who take a high view of inspiration since the Synoptic Gospels have evident dependencies. Such a strained position as that the two prophets were inspired independently is unnecessary. It is enough to believe that inspiration can involve guidance in the utilization of existing materials. 3 The only placed I disagree with Oswalt is I don t think it is straining credulity to believe the Holy Spirit could have inspired both Micah and Isaiah independently from one another. Nevertheless, as long as one recognizes both were acting under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, how this prophecy came to be included in both writings isn t a significant issue. Last Days: Now moving on, before we try to identify the timing of this prophecy, let s take a look at the content. First, these events are to occur in the last days. So what is meant by this phrase. Grogan notes: In the last days (v.2) is a technical eschatological expression; so its introduction here relates the vision to the period when God s purposes will find fulfillment. The NT, making explicit the fact that the Messiah comes twice, applies the phrase both to the period of his first advent (e.g., Acts 2:17; Heb 1:2) and to his second (e.g., James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:5). 4 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2). Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. who through faith are shielded by God s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:5). Interestingly enough, the Rabbinic understanding of this passage is similar. Consider: Concerning Judah and Jerusalem This expression seems to indicate that the following prophecy pertains exclusively to Judah and Jerusalem, whereas it actually deals with a new world order, thus pertaining to the entire world. (Abarbanel) believes that this was a vision in which the prophet heard God speaking to him and revealing to him the distant future of Messianic times. Ibn Ezra states emphatically that this (At the end of days) can refer to no period in history that has already passed, since we know from the works of Josephus, as well as from the literature of the Persians and the Medes, that during the time of the Second Temple, there were constant wars contrary to the prophet s declaration, Neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 The Mountain of the Lord: Second, the focus is the mountain of the Lord. This of course is Jerusalem, as we are told in verse 3. Jerusalem will become the center of the world. This 3 Oswalt, John N., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Isaiah, Vol. 1, William B. Eerdman s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1986, p. 115. 4 Grogan, Geoffrey W., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Isaiah, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990. 5 Rosenberg, Rabbi A., Isaiah, Volume 1, The Judaica Press, Inc., New York, NY, 1992, p. 18. ) 37 (
identifies Jerusalem not only as the center of worship of God but as the political center of the world as well. As Martin notes: The mountain of the Lord s temple refers to the mount where the temple was built (and where the millennial temple will be built, Ezek. 40-43). 6 The Coming of the Nations: Third, we see the nations of the world coming to the city. It is the center of government. Law and judgment are centered there. And because of this there will be peace among the nations. Obviously, if we intend to understand this literally, and I don t know why we wouldn t, then it hasn t happened yet. There has only been one time when Israel was the center of the known world, and that was to some degree under David and Solomon. That hasn t been the case since and cannot be until the second coming of the Messiah and the establishment of His throne. For the first time there will be worldwide recognition of the importance of the foundational truths of God. And people will go up to Jerusalem to be taught in God s ways. Or possibly Jerusalem will be recognized as the center of wisdom and people will turn to it for truth without necessarily physically going there. Maybe they will study on websites centered in Jerusalem. Universal Peace: As we can see the Messianic age is a time of peace between nations. This is not necessarily because all people desire Christ s rule, but because His throne is powerful and He is the one who settles disputes between peoples and nations. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery (Psalm 2:9). He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery just as I have received authority from my Father (Revelation 2:27). What is important is regardless of where humanity at large is related to God, Israel will be restored, filled with God s spirit and have her sins forgive. For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine (Ezekiel 36:24-30). 6 Martin, John A, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Volume 1, Isaiah, Victor Books, Colorado Springs, CO, 1986, p. 1037. ) 38 (
The time is coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the LORD. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The Coming of the Kingdom: Nothing is said in this passage about when God intends for the kingdom to be reestablished. What we do know from history is, if we understand this passage literally, then it has not yet been fulfilled. And with the current situation in the Middle-East, there is no way to believe it can ever happen but for the supernatural intervention of God. Israel will not bring about world peace. And certainly the church won t. The expectation that Christianity will have victory in the world and bring about conditions that will be acceptable for the coming of Christ is sadly, almost laughable. Through much of the world the Church has become irrelevant. And this pattern of the strong church moving from geographical to geographical region has continued throughout the last two-thousand years. So, since it is clear Christ Himself must bring His kingdom, then we have no way to know when these events will begin. This is the case whether one is referring to the Rapture, or the Second Coming. We are simply to live in expectation. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 14:36-44). Verse 5: What is the message of this section? It is to live now in a godly way in light of the hope of the future. In the future all nations, the Gentiles, would be seeking after God. This should be a good motivation for Judah to turn back to Him in Isaiah s day. Isaiah is challenging Judah to godliness. We are called to this same challenge. We were once in darkness, but now we are saved, knowing truth. Should we not live in reflection of this truth? Should we not do this for God, ourselves and as a testimony to the lost? ) 39 (
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:8-20). So, in light of all that is to come, let us live in a way that brings glory to God. And as we will see next time, one thing that is coming, which the world should fear, is The Day of the Lord. O come, Messiah, come again, And rid the world of death and sin. Return, Tour risen Savior and King. That heav n and earth at last may sin Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel! 7 7 Trapp, Vann, The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration, O Come, Messiah, Come Again, Word Music, Waco, TX, 1986, #243. ) 40 (
Isaiah Coming Attractions ~ Part 1 Chapter 2:1-5 I Introduction Verse 1 II Preview of the Kingdom Verses 2-5 III Preview of the Day of the Lord Verses 6-22 IV Conclusion I Introduction: (Isaiah 1:18-19) II Preview of the Kingdom: (Micah 4:1-3) A. Last Days: (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2; James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:5)
B. The Mountain of the Lord s Temple: C. The Coming of the Nations: D. Universal Peace: (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 2:27; Ezekiel 36:24-30; Jeremiah 31: 31-34; MATTHEW 14:36-44) Conclusion: Personal Application: This week think about how our lives reflect the reality of God s light in them. Where can we make changes? Where should we be reaching out to the lost? Prayer for the Week: Lord, let the reality of our salvation be reflected in how we shine before others. In Christ s name, amen.