seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you, destroyer,
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.
2 Lord, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
3 At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee;
when you rise up, the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts;
like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
3 At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee;
when you rise up, the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts;
like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a]
he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a]
7 Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
no travelers are on the roads.
The treaty is broken,
its witnesses[b] are despised,
no one is respected.
9 The land dries up and wastes away,
Lebanon is ashamed and withers;
Sharon is like the Arabah,
and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
no travelers are on the roads.
The treaty is broken,
its witnesses[b] are despised,
no one is respected.
9 The land dries up and wastes away,
Lebanon is ashamed and withers;
Sharon is like the Arabah,
and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.
10 “Now will I arise,” says the Lord.
“Now will I be exalted;
now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive chaff,
you give birth to straw;
your breath is a fire that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;
like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.”
“Now will I be exalted;
now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive chaff,
you give birth to straw;
your breath is a fire that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;
like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.”
13 You who are far away, hear what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified;
trembling grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously
and speak what is right,
who reject gain from extortion
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail them.
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified;
trembling grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously
and speak what is right,
who reject gain from extortion
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail them.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty
and view a land that stretches afar.
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?”
19 You will see those arrogant people no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
and view a land that stretches afar.
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?”
19 You will see those arrogant people no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us.
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us.
23 Your rigging hangs loose:
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
a. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
b. Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities
Isn't it horrible that things have to get so desperate. I could have been living in an ideal garden talking to the someone way smarter than a professor, rocket scientist or politician but I have to wait until they do stuff so despicable, even the wicked are appalled before Christ returns.
This is from the Bible-studys.org site.
Isaiah’s final “Woe” on Israel and Judah looks beyond the coming Assyrian invasion to the ultimate devastation that will come on the land in the final days. “Thee that spoilest” and was “not spoiled” is a reference to the Antichrist and his kingdom. “The time of trouble” refers to the Tribulation period. The invading army is likened to a horde of “locusts” that shall cover the land of Israel.
“He hath broken the covenant … he regardeth no man” is certainly reminiscent (of Daniel 9:27), which refers to the Antichrist. Thus, both prophets foresee a time when the one who has promised to defend Israel will turn against her during the Tribulation period.
Just as Sennacherib took flight suddenly ( 2 Chronicles 32:21), so the nations will scatter before the Lord, leaving their spoils behind.
From the vision of future glory, Isaiah returns to the disastrous present. Jerusalem’s situation was hopeless when (in 701 B.C.), the Assyrian army had the city surrounded and was ready to move in.
Verses 13-24: God’s judgment is pictured as a “devouring fire”, which is so awesome that only the righteous will be spared (Matt. 24:22). The “king in his beauty” is Christ Himself, and the description of the magnitude of His kingdom is reminiscent of the New Jerusalem (in Revelation 21:16-17).
Here the prophet foresees the millennial kingdom when Christ will rule the world in peace. All that Israel needs will be fulfilled in the Lord her God, who will be the “judge, lawgiver,” and “king”. Thus, in this threefold capacity, “he will save us.”
Speak of that future day God’s people will remember past hardships under foreign domination.
I find it interesting.... when I think back on some things that I thought I would never survive.... and now I laugh at myself for being so flippin' serious at the time. Things on earth are going to get a whole lot worse..... but the story has a great ending.... Heaven.... back to the garden..... fishing without a hook.I have been through a few scrapes. There were times in my life when I was sure I had done the impossible.... I thought I had done something so despicable that even God wouldn't love me anymore. Looking back at those scrapes that I thought were such despicable events..... if I hadn't been so pathetic back then I would laugh out loud at myself now.
A category 5 hurricane (Dorian) is headed for the east coast. I remember a hurricane that hit New London, Conn when I was a kid. I remember being rescued from a shelter with my parents. When we went outside..... whole houses had been blown off their foundations and they were sitting in the street. It was surreal. A hurricane went up the Chesapeake Bay back in the late 70's. It turned babbling brooks into raging rivers. Someone got stuck on a bridge not far from the house. We could hear her crying for help..... but we couldn't get to her. I never heard what happened to her....so I'm going to assume she was rescued.... I have to think that.... to live with myself.
What Isaiah is describing here is way way way worse than a piddly cat 5 storm. What is happening in these verses is "end of the world set up a new Theocracy" kind of event. While the event Isaiah is talking about..... was brewing off planet.... the "anti-christ" will be busy assuring us he will win any battle. His government will assure us that we can withstand any attack.... any earthquake.... any storm.... any event..... and those who haven't read their Bible will buy in hook, line, and sinker. His preachers will stand in the church sanctuary and lie to the flock..... telling them to trust humans, and human governments rather than God. They will lead flowery soliloquies but not prayers. They will tell the humans that everything will be ok because the "anti-christ" has spoken.
BUT.... Isaiah says survivors of this final battle will be part of a fabulous Theocracy. Everything and everyone will be at peace. Survivors of this final battle will have all they will need to survive in peace. God will be in charge and humans will be happy to revere Him. It's going to get much much worse.... and then it's going to be much, much, much better.
