Through the Bible - Isaiah

God, we do thank You again for the opportunity to study Your Word together. We thank You for those throughout the years who have committed themselves to keeping these things copied for us, Lord. In our day, what an awesome blessing it is as we live here in a nation where we have so many different versions available to us. There are still places in the world that don't even have a version in their own language yet. It's hard for us to imagine that, but Lord, You've graced us with the privilege of being able to study Your Word together. We ask that You would teach us and give us insight tonight as we go through the book of Isaiah.

I do lift up my parents into Your hands. I pray that You would continue to be with them and strengthen my dad's heart. We thank You that even though he said he's ready to go home, we thank You that he's still here. So, Lord, we do just pray for this evening and this study that You would speak to us, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

The book of Isaiah is a real blessing to me individually, but it has also been a blessing to the church as a whole throughout the years. It's a powerful book. It begins the portion of Scripture that we're going to be in for the next several weeks: the major and minor prophets. Prophetic Scripture in the Bible is what I like to call the divine fingerprint. It is God's thumbprint on Scripture to show us that it was truly written and authored by someone who is outside of time.

Now, it's important to understand that when we look at prophecy, you will not understand the prophetic books of the Bible unless you study their corresponding history. That's why 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles come before the prophetic books in the Bible. I've talked to many people who have read the book of Isaiah, and they just say it went right over their heads; they don't understand. Or the book of Ezekiel— that one is even more perplexing. You read it and just wonder, what in the world is going on here? What happened to this guy that he would see these things?

Did he hit his head or something? A lot of times when we read the prophetic passages, it just goes right over our heads. Most of the time, when I ask people why they didn't understand something, I inquire if they have read through 1 and 2 Kings or 1 and 2 Chronicles. If they say no, then they won't understand it.

If you really want to grasp what's going on, you need to understand it within its historical context. Much of the prophetic utterances given by these men, as we go through the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Amos, and others, were spoken to their time and their people. There are other fulfillments of these passages that would come much later, but the bulk of it, especially as you study the 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah, was fulfilled during Isaiah's life or shortly thereafter.

There is a lot in it that talks about the coming of the Messiah, which wouldn't occur for another 700 years, as well as the second coming of the Messiah, which still hasn't happened yet. So, 2,700 years have passed since Isaiah lived and since he wrote these things. To fully understand this book, you need to read the corresponding passages found in 2 Kings chapters 15 through 21 and 2 Chronicles chapters 26 through 33. If you read and study those chapters before diving into the book of Isaiah, I guarantee it will make a lot more sense to you. You'll understand what's going on and see how it flows together and connects.

There are many different outlines for this book, and it is quite large. It is part of the scripture called the Major Prophets, not because Isaiah was a big leaguer while Hosea and Micah were in double-A ball, but because it contains more content than the other prophetic books. This is the longest prophetic book of the Bible, with 66 chapters. It has been called a Bible in miniature because the Bible has 66 books in total.

The Bible is divided into two portions: the Old Testament, which has 39 books, and the New Testament, which has 27 books. Interestingly, when you look at the book of Isaiah, it divides into 39 chapters and 27 chapters. The first 39 chapters deal with the condemnation that was going to come upon the nation of Israel. In fact, you can kind of divide it up. The outline we're going to use tonight is...

The first portion of the book of Isaiah, chapters 1 through 35, deals with condemnation. Chapters 1 through 35 address the condemnation that comes upon not only Israel but the entire world. Chapter 36 through 39 provides context, giving us a peek into the historical background of what is going on. Then, chapters 40 through 66 offer comfort or consolation for Israel.

These divisions of the book of Isaiah have led some scholars to believe that it was written by more than one author. The prophecies that Isaiah delivered are so clear and specific that people have struggled to accept that it was written in the 8th century BC, which is the time it was composed. They look at the text and conclude that it cannot possibly be true.

Why do they think this? Well, in Isaiah chapter 45, God tells the nation of Israel, who had not yet been taken into captivity by the Babylonians, who their deliverer will be by name. Isaiah lived from about 740 BC to 680 BC, while the children of Israel would not be taken into Babylon until 586 BC. They would not even be delivered for another 70 years after that. The king who would deliver them would be a man named Cyrus, king of Persia. Isaiah names him and states, "Cyrus, you are called of God for this very specific task."

People read this and assert that it cannot possibly have been written during the time it is said to have been authored by one individual. Those who hold this view do not believe in a God like I do—a God who is truly outside of time, who knows the end from the beginning. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the one who was, is, and is to come. He can tell us exactly what will happen a hundred years from now.

This is how He proves His authorship of these books, by saying, "Look, let me show you." In fact, Isaiah even brings this up. God, speaking through Isaiah in this book, questions the children of Israel because they were following after all kinds of false gods. He asks them, "Why do you follow after these gods who cannot tell you the end before it happens?"

He says, "I am the only God who can tell you what's going to happen before it comes to pass." That was the litmus test for prophets. If someone comes along claiming to be a prophet, Moses would tell the children of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy to find out if what he says comes to pass. If it doesn't, what happens to that prophet? It would be very hard to get a life insurance policy as a prophet during that time. There probably were men who came along claiming to be prophets, and their prophecies didn't come to pass. A harsh judgment would come upon these men who were supposed to speak on behalf of God.

However, this man, Isaiah, had a very long career. We find that out from the very first words of the book: Isaiah chapter 1, verse 1. Notice this: "The vision of Isaiah." The writer to the Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 1, says that God, in past times and in diverse manners, spoke unto our fathers by the prophets. God spoke in the Old Testament in various ways, and He spoke to Isaiah through visions. This man was a visionary; he would see things that others didn't see and then speak about those things that he saw.

A lot of people wouldn't believe him, so he was persecuted like many of the prophets during their time. God spoke in diverse manners. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush and to Amos through a basket of fruit. He communicated in many different ways in the Old Testament, but to Isaiah, He spoke through visions. The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw, was predominantly concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

If you go back to 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles, you know that the nation of Israel was divided into two after the reign of King Solomon. His son Rehoboam took over the nation, and it split into the northern ten tribes and the southern two tribes. The southern tribes were named Judah, while the northern tribes were called Ephraim or Samaria, with their capital city being Samaria. The primary focus of Isaiah, the prophet, was on the southern tribes of Judah and their capital city, Jerusalem. The most permanent fixture in the city of Jerusalem was the temple. As you go through the book, God primarily speaks to that group.

The people who lived in the area of Judea, or Judah, had the temple in Jerusalem. However, Isaiah's prophecies spread much further than that because he also spoke to the northern ten tribes, who would be destroyed during his ministry. During the time that Isaiah lived, he watched as his brothers to the north were taken captive by the Assyrians. Over a period of about 40 or 50 years, four different kings came from Assyria and overtook the northern ten tribes.

God spoke to Isaiah and told him that they would overtake the south too unless the people repented. They almost completely overran Judah and Jerusalem. There was only one city that they did not take captive: the city of Jerusalem. The reason God did not allow the city of Jerusalem to be destroyed was not because the children of Judah were a good people; they weren't. It was for His namesake that God intervened.

He allowed the Assyrian army, under King Sennacherib, to surround the city. You can read about this in Isaiah chapters 36 through 39, which provide the historical context. It shows when that nation and King Sennacherib surrounded the city, and ultimately, God defended His city just as He said He would. In one night, God dispatched an angel from heaven, and that angel destroyed 185,000 men of the Assyrian army. King Sennacherib, the king over the Assyrian army, returned to his capital city, Nineveh, with his tail between his legs.

This king was one of the most boastful rulers of that time. We have found tons of archaeological evidence of his writings, which are known as the Annals of Sennacherib. You can actually see them in the British Museum in London. These writings detail this great king's conquests, how he destroyed cities, defeated kings, and took down kingdoms. King Sennacherib accomplished many great things during the 8th century BC, at least from his kingdom's perspective.

However, when he talks about Jerusalem, he claims, "We went up to Jerusalem and locked King Hezekiah up like a bird in a cage." He then states that they left and imposed a tax on him, but he says nothing more. There is no mention of destroying the city, nor does he acknowledge the loss of 185,000 men from his army. Why? Kings do not talk about their defeats. But you can see the hand of God in this account.

In this book, the whole theme is that a remnant shall return. This is prophesied through the first son of Isaiah, whose name is given in Isaiah chapter 7. His name was Sherejashub, which literally means "a remnant shall return." This was the constant message of the prophet Isaiah. He told the people that they were going to be judged, but God's judgment, as you read the book of Isaiah, always has a purifying and redemptive purpose.

God judges His people in the same way that parents discipline their children. You discipline your children to train them and instruct them in righteousness and right living. God disciplines His people as well. He brought judgment upon those who were in rebellion, just like little children throwing a temper tantrum, saying, "God doesn't love us. He doesn't listen to us." We see this theme repeatedly in the book of Isaiah.

God comes and brings His judgment. In fact, He sends nation after nation to destroy their cities. At one point in chapter 5, God says, "My hand is stretched out still." He is saying, "Listen, I've already spanked you once, and my hand is ready to strike again. Would you like me to stop?" Many parents can relate to this. I see some heads nodding out there. I know my parents did, and I still remember the hurt.

In this book, you see God as a loving father. He tells His people that He is going to judge them and gives them warnings through the prophets. Repeatedly, God warns His people that judgment will come unless they repent. And then the judgment does come, often in waves. God's judgment, as seen in the scriptures of the Old Testament, always escalates. There are indications of judgment throughout the book of Isaiah and in other prophetic books in the Old Testament, and these are very important for us to take note of.

I want you to understand that when you read the prophetic books—and we will be studying these for the next several weeks—you see a God who is intimately involved in the affairs of this world. You need to understand that God still is. When King Sennacherib, the leader of the Assyrian army, led his armies into Judah and Jerusalem, he took 200,000 men captive in one day and sacked several different cities in Judah.

It has nothing to do with His power or greatness; it has everything to do with His judgment. Isaiah chapter 8 reveals this. God says, "Sennacherib, you are a tool in My hand. I'm using you to accomplish My judgment." God still works like that, and that's a scary thing.

Why? Because the indicators of judgment that you see in the book of Isaiah are the very same indicators that you see upon the nation of America today. You can see very clear indicators of judgment in the United States today. It comes in the form of famine, but not just famine of food. There is a famine of, number one, leadership. We see that in Isaiah chapter 3 and Isaiah chapter 5. The people say, "I don't want to rule over you." The standard, I guess you could say, for someone to be a ruler was that he had a coat of clothing. He had some nice clothes. So, you know what? You look the part; you can be our leader. We live in a time like this today.

I was driving down the street the other day, listening to one of the AM radio stations, and a lady was calling in. She said, "I think Mitt Romney should be the candidate. He looks presidential. He's got a coat of clothing. He looks the part." We live during those times as well.

Another very interesting passage, one of the indicators of judgment, I want to read to you. In verse 12 of chapter 3, it says, "As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them." It's an indicator of judgment. I was out with one of the ladies, a realtor here at the church. Andrea and I went out to dinner with her this last week. We've been looking at houses, and she made a comment while we were out to dinner. She's from Korea, and she said, "We have a saying in Korea: when the hen crows, the nation falls."

I'll let you think about that a little bit, but I want you to notice what Isaiah says, what God speaks through Isaiah. "As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them." What's one of the indicators of judgment? There's no leadership on the side of the men, and the women step into those roles. "Oh, My people, they which lead you cause you to err, and they destroy the way of your paths."

God pleads with His people in the next verse. The Lord stands up to plead, but notice this: He also stands up to judge His people. God stands up and says, "Please follow after Me," but He is also in the position of judgment. He will bring judgment upon a people who have rebelled against Him. Remember, the people that He judges in this...

The book refers to God's own chosen people, the nation of Israel. Peter says judgment must begin at the house of the Lord. The first five chapters of the book of Isaiah deal with judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem. After addressing Judah, God turns His view towards the northern ten tribes. When you reach Isaiah chapter 13, the focus shifts to judgments upon all the other nations of the world. However, God always starts with His own people. Judgment begins at the house of the Lord, and then He moves out from there to the other nations, specifically in chapters 13 through 23.

Isaiah chapter 24 presents a judgment spoken upon the entire world. The interesting thing is that as you read through Isaiah 13 to 23, every single one of those judgments has already come to pass. Whether it is the judgment upon Babylon, Assyria, the Edomites, or the Moabites, these nations no longer exist today. Why? Because God judged them. In Isaiah 13 through 23, God declares, "I’m going to judge you." Yet, from each of these nations, a remnant returns. This is the theme of the book: Behold, God is going to judge His people, but it is a purifying judgment, and a remnant shall return. Thus, God pours out His judgment upon His own people as well as on the nations of the world.

In Isaiah chapter 24, as previously mentioned, there is a judgment spoken upon the entire earth, and it has not yet happened. The day of the Lord, the great and terrible day of the Lord's vengeance, shall come. How do we know it shall come? God speaks prophecy in a very interesting way. In one verse, you can find a fulfillment or a prophecy that has its fulfillment immediately. We see this very clearly in Isaiah chapter 7.

Turn over there real quick, because it's a powerful example. In Isaiah chapter 7, the nation of Israel was led by King Ahaz. Ahaz was a wicked king; he was not following the Lord. In this context, you have the southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin, with their capital city in Jerusalem, and the northern ten tribes.

King Ahaz had made a league, a tribute with the nation of Syria, not Assyria. I hope I don't confuse you. Try and follow along here. The northern ten tribes had this league with the nation of Syria, and they set out to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. They wanted to take over the city of Jerusalem and set up their own king there, their own puppet king.

Ahaz, being a wicked king, looked at this situation. His own brothers from the north were about to come and destroy his nation. What do you think he did? Even though he was a wicked king, he wanted the help of God. So, he went out and set himself up, trying to figure out how to prepare the city for the siege. Isaiah came and spoke to him. Notice this in chapter 7, verse 1: it came to pass that the news arrived that the northern ten tribes and the nation of Syria were coming to destroy them. The whole nation of Judah was moved like trees shaken by the wind.

Then the Lord said unto Isaiah, "Go forth now and meet Ahaz, you and your son, Sharjashub." What does Sharjashub mean? A remnant shall return. God instructed Isaiah to meet the king, who was at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field.

Now, I want you to understand that the Bible doesn't mention anything by accident. Why was Ahaz standing by the conduit of water at the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field? The king wasn't an idiot; he knew he was about to be besieged. What does a city need when it's besieged? Water and food. He was trying to secure their water supply.

This also shows us that these are real events that actually took place at a specific time and place. Here was King Ahaz, with all of his advisors, standing by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field. And God said,

I have a word for King Ahaz. Isaiah, I want you to go out and speak to him. Say unto him, "Take heed and be quiet. Do not fear, neither be faint-hearted. For the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezan and Syria and the son of Remaliah, or because of Syria, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have taken evil counsel against you, saying, 'Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tobal.' Thus saith the Lord God, 'It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.'"

Notice what's happening here. God says, "Isaiah, I want you to go and speak to King Ahaz and tell him, 'Don't be afraid of these guys who are coming against you. They're nothing.'" Notice God's estimation of them: the two tails of these smoking firebrands. He says, "They're just like a couple of smoldering fires. They're no big deal. Don't be afraid of them." Because God says, "This is not going to stand."

Notice what God says in verse 8: "For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin, and within three score and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people." God says, "These people are going to be destroyed. Don't be afraid of them." And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. "If you will not believe, surely you will not be established."

God gives King Ahaz an opportunity to be established as a good king. He says, "If you trust me, Ahaz, that I will protect your people and your city, I will establish you. But if you will not trust me, you will not be established."

Moreover, the Lord spoke unto Ahaz, saying, "Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God. Ask either in the depth or the height above." So God says, "If you want me to prove to you that I'm going to protect you, ask for a sign, any sign that you want, in the depths below or the heights above. I will do whatever you want to prove to you that my word is true."

Can you imagine if God spoke to you in this way? What would you ask for? If God came to you tonight and said, "This is what I'm going to do in your life in ten years. If you don't believe me, I will prove it to you by giving you whatever sign you want." My mind would be a flood of ideas. I mean, I'm thinking, "All right, you parted the Red Sea for Moses. You caused the sun to stand still for Joshua. I'm thinking, boy, we're going to do something big."

But I want you to notice that King Ahaz tries to appear spiritual.

Ahaz said, "I will not ask anything of the Lord nor tempt Him. Oh, I can't test the Lord." God spoke to him and said, "Test me." Do you realize that by Ahaz trying to appear spiritual here, he is in disobedience to God? God told him, "I want to prove to you that I'm going to do this."

But here's the deal: if God had caused the sun to stand still for Ahaz and proven to him that He was going to do this, what would Ahaz be obligated to do? He'd have to follow the Lord and trust the Lord. He doesn't want to do that. So hard-hearted and so wicked, he doesn't want to do that.

Isaiah said, "Hear you now, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?" Isaiah says, "Oh, come on, Ahaz. What are you doing? Man, you just tire me out. Isn't it enough for you to tire me out? You got to tire God out too?"

And so God says, "I'm going to give you a sign anyway." Notice what God says. This was a sign to King Ahaz that God was going to protect His people at that time and that day. Therefore, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Emmanuel." This is the sign that was going to be to King Ahaz in that day that he was going to be protected.

But this wouldn't come to pass for how many years? Seven hundred years. How is this a sign to that king in that day that God was going to protect them? Something that wouldn't come to pass for another seven hundred years.

I’m saying all this to show you something about prophecy. God speaks something in prophecy that has a short fulfillment, an immediate fulfillment, and a latter fulfillment all in one verse. Notice what He goes on to say. Because here's the sign to King Ahaz: "Butter and honey shall he eat that he may know to refuse evil and to choose good."

For before, notice this, "for before the child shall know to refuse evil and to choose good, the land that you abhor shall be forsaken by both her kings." Here was the prophetic word to King Ahaz for his day and his deliverance. God says, "There's going to be a child born, and before that child is able to know what's right and wrong, before that child is old enough..."

Basically, God is saying to Mother and Father, "I'm going to deliver you." In a short period of time, just a few years, God declares that these two kingdoms are going to be destroyed. However, there is also a further fulfillment that wouldn't come for another 700 years. What is that? A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel, which means "God with us."

Here, God spoke a prophecy to King Ahaz that would have a fulfillment within a few years for him. But He also speaks a prophecy that wouldn't come for another 700 years. Intermixed in the prophecies of the Old Testament, in each of the prophetic books, are prophecies that would soon come to pass, as well as those that would come to pass years later.

We also see this in the New Testament. Move over to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter 24 is a very powerful prophetic passage, one that many of you have probably wondered about before. After Jesus departs from the temple for the very last time in His ministry, His disciples approach Him. Jesus has just given one of the most judgment-oriented messages of His ministry, speaking judgment and woe upon the Pharisees, the scribes, the Sadducees, and all the ruling class of Israel.

His disciples come to Him, and it almost seems like they are trying to say, "Hey man, calm down, everything's good." They say, "Look at this great building, this great temple here. Look at the stones of this place." Notice what Jesus says as He departs. In verse 1 of chapter 24, He departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be one stone left upon another that shall not be thrown down."

Then He departed. His disciples probably just stood there in shock, thinking, "What?" He left and went to sit at the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to Him privately and said, "Master, tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?"

In the minds of Jesus' disciples, they figured that when this temple gets destroyed, that would be the end of the world. To them, their world revolved around that temple. So they came to Jesus and asked, "When are these things going to be? What shall be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?" Jesus goes on to speak to them about the end of the world and the end of the age, but He first told them...

This temple is going to be destroyed. This temple is going to be torn down, which would be an early fulfillment. It would come within 40 years after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. It happened in 70 AD. However, the rest of the passage in the very same discourse has not yet come to pass.

We see this pattern for prophecy throughout the Old and New Testaments, where God speaks of an early fulfillment and a latter fulfillment in the very same sentence many times. For example, "Behold, a virgin shall bear a son, shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel." This sign, which would not come for 700 years, was also assigned to King Ahaz during his day, indicating that God was going to protect his city.

Why was God going to protect his city? Was it because King Ahaz was a great king? No, he was a wicked king. It was because God, for His namesake, would preserve and protect his city and a remnant. The entire book of Isaiah is focused on God saving a remnant. In fact, the name of Isaiah speaks to that, as Isaiah means "the Lord has saved." That is the message of Isaiah: God provides salvation to those who repent.

You see this repeatedly, not just for the people of Judah or those who lived in the city of Jerusalem, but also for those who were part of the northern ten tribes. If they would repent, they would be saved. But it is not just the people of Israel; God speaks to the people of Moab, the people of Assyria, the people of Babylon, and the Egyptians. He speaks to all the nations that He will judge, saying, "If you will repent, you will be a part of the remnant. You shall be saved."

Now, the message of Isaiah was a pretty heavy one. As you go through this book, some of the things you read make you think, "Man, this guy had a tough ministry." He also had a hard-hearted people who did not want to listen to him. When he spoke to them, they said, "Oh, we don't want to hear this guy anymore." His message was repetitive; it was the same thing over and over again. He said, "Repent, repent, repent. Turn to the Lord. He's going to judge you. Repent."

The people got so tired of it that in Isaiah chapter 28, they said to him, "We don't want to hear from Isaiah anymore. His repetitive teaching is just for the little kids. Just send him to the kids, just newly weaned. Send him to the toddler room."

To teach them, that's all His message is good for. As an insult to Isaiah, they said to him in Isaiah chapter 28, "Your message is just line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little." It's the same thing over and over again. In fact, if you read it in the original language, in the Hebrew, it just says, "Your message is line, line, line, line, precept, precept, here a little, there a little." It's just the same thing; you sound like a broken record. The people hardened their hearts, stiffened their necks, and closed their ears. But you know what? That's exactly what God sent Isaiah to do.

Turn to Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter 6 is such a powerful passage; you've probably read it before. There, Isaiah has a vision of the throne room of God. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood Seraphim, these angels. Each one had six wings; with two, he covered his face, with two, he covered his feet, and with two, he did fly.

Get the picture here for a moment. Here is God seated on a throne in heaven. The train of His robe is so big that it fills the temple of heaven. Now, in my mind, I have this picture of what a temple might look like, but just multiply that by like a million, and then maybe you might have an idea of the temple of God in heaven. God is there in heaven, seated upon the throne.

Whenever you see the visible representation of God, who is the visible representation of God? Jesus. There is Jesus seated upon the throne, the same thing that Stephen would see. The train of His robe fills the temple. Now, who wears a train on their robe? Someone in a royal position. But why do they wear that train? It's a symbol, a sign. This is a person who doesn't need to do anything. You never see in your mind the picture of someone mowing their lawn with a train of their robe. It's just not given to work, is it? It's a position of rest, a position of privilege.

And there is the Lord seated upon the throne. About His throne, there are these awesome creatures, the Seraphim. The word "Seraphim" just means "burning ones." A lot of times, the prophets would see things that they couldn't exactly describe.

Very well. They would just say, "I don't know what to say." It was just like, he's like, "It's on fire. He's a burning one." Here are these seraphim, and they have six wings: two they cover their face with, two they cover their feet with, and two they fly.

I want you to notice the proper position of one in the temple of God. This angel had six wings; two-thirds of their wings were given to worship, while only a third were given to service. But they're always flying, always in that place, ready to be dispatched by the Lord. They cry out, and notice what they cry: one to another. One angel cries to another angel, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory." One angel is at the side of the throne, crying to the next angel, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord." The next angel responds, "No, you don't understand. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord."

Throughout eternity, there is the drone of holiness in the presence of God. These angels never get tired of this position of crying out to God, "Holy, holy, holy," throughout eternity. Why? Because that's the proper position to be in, in reverence of his holiness.

Notice this in verse 4: the posts of the door were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. I can't even imagine what their voices must sound like, but it seems as though Isaiah was just standing at the door of the temple. He hasn't even gone into the temple when he's caught up into heaven and has this heavenly vision. There he sees these angels, one crying out, "Holy, holy, holy." At the voice of the angel, the heavenly temple was shaken.

Now, I don't know what the building codes are like in heaven, but I imagine that the temple in heaven is a pretty stout and sturdy place. Yet, the angel's voice caused this place to shake, and at the cry of holiness, the whole place was filled with smoke.

Then Isaiah said in verse 5, "Woe is me." In the last chapter, Isaiah pronounced woe upon the people of Judah and Jerusalem three times. In fact, from chapter 1 to chapter 5, he says it eight times: "Certain judgment, woe to you." But then he gains a proper perspective, not just of his nation, but of himself. He sees God and sees himself in light of God.

He says, "Woe is me! Why? I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to him, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched this to his lips, laid it upon his mouth, and said, "Lo, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged."

He confesses his sin: "I am a man of unclean lips." The angel takes a coal from off the altar before God and touches it to the lips of Isaiah. He doesn't cry out in pain. Notice that his only cry of pain comes when he sees himself in his sinful condition before God. God touches him; the angel touches his lips with this coal, and his sin is purged. He recognizes that his sin has been purged as the angel says, "Your sin is taken away."

Then he hears the voice of the Lord. Notice that he did not hear the voice of God until his sin was dealt with. He hears the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then he says, "Here am I, send me." Notice what God sends him to do. This is God dispatching His heavenly messenger. God says, "Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not."

Here is the mission of Isaiah: "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and be healed." God says, "Here is your ministry, Isaiah. You're going to go and preach to this people until they close their ears, shut their eyes, and harden their hearts."

I believe it was G. Campbell Morgan who said, "This is the ministry of Isaiah: go and preach this people to hell." No one is going to listen to you. Your whole job is to go and preach to them, to speak to them the Word of God until they harden their hearts, stiffen their necks, and are ready for judgment.

Now, if you were given that ministry, what might you say? Probably the same thing that Isaiah says in verse 11: "How long, Lord? How long do I have to do this for? This doesn't sound like a fun ministry. How long?" And He answered, "Until the cities be laid waste without inhabitant, and the houses without a man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the Lord has removed men far away."

There will be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. God says, "You're going to preach to this people until this entire place is destroyed. That's your job. Until I, the Lord, come in and remove these men far away until I bring my judgment upon them."

But notice what God says to him in verse 13: "Yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return and shall be eaten as a teal tree and as an oak whose substance is in them. When they cast their leaves, the holy seed shall be the substance thereof." God says, "Go and preach to these people to hell because I'm going to judge them. But a remnant shall return."

You go preach to them, and most of them are not going to listen to you. Most of them are going to harden their hearts; they will close their eyes and ears. They might persecute you, and ultimately, they will put you to death. Tradition holds that Isaiah was killed under the reign of King Manasseh, the wicked son of Hezekiah, who became king when he was twelve years old. He tore down all the good work that his father had done and killed the prophets. Tradition holds that he had Isaiah put to death by putting him inside the trunk of a tree and cutting him in half.

God says to him, "Your job is to go and preach to them until they won't listen to you any longer, until they say, 'We don't want to hear this guy anymore. All he ever says is precept, precept, precept, precept, line, line, line, line, here a little, there a little.' He's a broken record." They harden their hearts, stiffen their necks, and close their ears, and then Isaiah's job is accomplished.

Now, I want you to consider that for a moment. Sometimes we think that our work as evangelists, those who declare the word of God, is to see people converted to the Lord. However, our work is to preach the gospel whether they are converted or not; that's God's choosing. Sometimes God sends you to preach the gospel so that their hearts will be hardened and made ready for judgment. Why? Because they will be without excuse. No one will be able to stand before the Lord and say, "You never told me." Why? Because there you are, the evangelist, to tell them, whether they harden their hearts or not.

The only encouragement may be that a remnant will return—a tenth part. This book, although filled with heavy, powerful judgments upon the people of Judah and Jerusalem and the world as a whole, speaks prophecies that have not yet come to pass.

That speaks about the end of the age, but it also has the most messianic prophecies of the Bible, besides the Psalms. It's filled with messianic prophecy. We already saw the one in Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14, that speaks about the virgin birth. There's also Isaiah chapter 9, which speaks about His Galilean ministry. Chapter 9 also tells us that He will be the heir to the throne of David. He will have His way prepared before Him in Isaiah chapter 40.

Remember, who is the fulfillment of the one to prepare the way? John the Baptist. Now, it's interesting. Where do we first read about John the Baptist? In the 40th book of the Bible, the book of Matthew. Where do we first read about the prophecy concerning him? In the 40th chapter of the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah chapter 50 tells us that He will be spat upon and beaten, the Messiah. Isaiah chapter 52 tells us that He will be the one who is exalted. Isaiah chapter 53 talks about the disfigured and suffering servant, the one who would make blood atonement, the one who would be widely rejected, the one who would bear our sins and sorrows, the one who would be our substitute. He would voluntarily accept our guilt and our punishment, that He would die with transgressors, that He would die with the wicked. Remember, He was crucified with a thief on either side of Him. But He would be buried in a rich man's tomb. Isaiah 53 tells us that He would save those who believe in Him, as stated in Isaiah 53, verses 10 and 11. He would heal the brokenhearted.

This book is so crammed and filled with messianic prophecy that when you read the book of Matthew, it repeatedly goes back to "Isaiah said." This was 700 years before Jesus came. Why is that important? Because the work, the ministry, the plan of God through the Messiah, the redemptive work, was planned not just 700 years before Jesus came; it was planned before God ever said, "Let there be light." Revelation chapter 13, verse 8, tells us that He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

That's why Isaiah's name is so important: "The Lord has saved," not "The Lord will save." The Lord has already accomplished the work of redemption before He ever said, "Let there be light." You see, sometimes we Christians think that God created man and set Adam...

And Eve in the garden were told, "Hey, don't eat of that tree; it'll kill you." They ate of it, and God was sitting there thinking, "Boy, what are we going to do?" Well, I guess we could sacrifice an animal. We'll take care of it that way. So, He left the people to make their sacrifices, but that didn't last very long. Then Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices, and now they were fighting with each other, leading to Cain killing Abel. God was still scratching His head, wondering, "Boy, what are we going to do?"

He thought about it for a couple of thousand years and then said, "I got an idea. We'll call Moses to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and then we'll give them the law. There, we'll give them the law. That'll work." After 2,000 years of the law, God was up there scratching His head again, thinking, "This isn't working."

Well, maybe Jesus, you can go down there and fix this whole mess. Some Christians think that God progressively worked this plan of salvation out as things didn't work. No, before the foundation of the world, Jehovah had a plan. He knew what He was doing.

Why did He allow some 4,000 years of the history of man to take place before sending His Son? The New Testament tells us it was at the opportune time, at the right time, that Christ died for the ungodly. Why was that the right time? Because man had exercised everything he possibly could in his own strength to get to God. And what did that lead to? The Tower of Babel.

Then man tried to follow God's law as much as he could for about 2,000 years under the Levitical system, but it didn't work. All it did was show man that he could not do it. It proved what Isaiah 64:6 says: "All of our righteousness is as filthy rags." Man needs to come to that place and recognize that he can't do it on his own. There is only one way through the work that Jesus did on the cross.

I heard a story long ago about an old preacher in England who preached a great message about salvation. Right after preaching, he had to run out of the hall to catch a train to speak at another place. As he got to the train station, just as he was getting onto the train, a man came running up to him and said, "I just heard you preach. What do I need to do?" The preacher didn't have much time and replied, "Do you have a Bible?" The man said, "Yes, I have a Bible." The preacher instructed him, "Go and read Isaiah 53. Enter in at the first 'all' and walk out in glory at the second 'all.'" The man asked, "What does that mean?" He went home, read Isaiah 53, and got to verse 6, where he found...

The first verse states, "All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." The gospel is encapsulated right there in one verse. We've all sinned; we've all fallen short of the glory of God. But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, laid down His life for us. The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

The book of Isaiah is all about the salvation of the remnant. Jehovah has saved. It's a beautiful book. I've had the privilege of teaching it for the last two years at the Bible college up in Murrieta. When they first asked me to teach this, I said, "You're nuts! Sixty-six chapters in fourteen weeks?" Well, now we've done it in one hour, so it's a great book. I recommend that you read it and study it on your own. Maybe there will be an opportunity for us to offer a class on Isaiah here in our School of Discipleship. We'll see. But you'll have to do the homework, so let's stand and pray together. Amen.

Lord, this is a powerful book, and I thank You that in it we see Your inexhaustible patience time and time again as You call out to a people who have hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks. Yet still, You cried out to them, "Come to Me, come to Me." Lord, I thank You that here in this room stands a remnant. In the midst of all the wickedness of this world, as we see a world that is fast approaching judgment, there still is a remnant that returns and follows You. I pray that You would help us to speak boldly and loudly Your truth, and that people would see and know who You are and how great You are.

But Lord, we also know that there are going to be those who, by our words, have hardened hearts like Pharaoh. Their necks are stiffened, and they go to their death in that way. It is so very sad; it's tragic. Yet, Lord, they won't be able to stand before You with any excuse.

You've given and extended your hand of love, and we thank You that You have given it to us tonight. We praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.

And now it is our time.