seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Isaiah 35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Wow.... short and happy this morning..... I needed a happy chapter. Isaiah was looking so glum. This commentary is from bible-studys.org.
The prophet Isaiah now turns to a message of hope for the future. After the great destruction of the Tribulation period will come the blessing of the millennial age when the desert “shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.”
In the Messiah’s kingdom, all spiritual evil and physical catastrophe will be reversed and the land and people will be blessed. “Carmel and Sharon,” the normally fertile regions of Israel, though devastated by the Battle of Armageddon, will once again be fertile and productive.
One day they will blossom more beautifully that the cedar forests of “Lebanon.” The “highway” is contrasted to the desolate desert and its endless maze of shifting sands. It will be the “way of holiness” and will be reserved for the “ransomed” and “redeemed” of the Tribulation period who will enter the millennial kingdom.
Verses 1-4: In contrast to luxuriant Edom that is to become as desert (34:1-17), during Messiah’s reign on earth the whole world is to become like a flourishing garden and this will offer encouragement to the weak.
Water was and is a precious commodity in Israel (41:18). In the Millennium, there will be no scarcity.
This is from the enduringword.com site.A Highway of Holiness: Today, we take good roads for granted. But in the ancient world, a good road – a highway – was an amazing blessing for travel, progress, and business. Isaiah announces that in the ministry of the Messiah, there will be a wonderful highway, a road, known as the Highway of Holiness.
The Hebrew word for highway indicates what our English word literally says: “a high-way.” It speaks of a raised road, lifted above the ground. It is a high, glorious road to travel on!
The construction of this Highway of Holiness was the greatest engineering feat ever accomplished. “Engineering has done much to tunnel mountains, and bridge abysses; but the greatest triumph of engineering is that which made a way from sin to holiness, from death to life, from condemnation to perfection. Who could make a road over the mountains of our iniquities but Almighty God? None but the Lord of love would have wished it; none but the God of wisdom could have devised it; none but the God of power could have carried it out.” (Spurgeon)
I use to be a cab driver. I drove for Beach Taxi in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was in the very late 70's and early 80's. It was much safer back then.... all the calls were radio dispatched and the dispatcher knew where everyone was and when they should answer up again. There was an occasional runner.... someone who didn't have the money would bolt once they got near to where they needed to go. There were only a couple of robberies. Of course I was robbed once..... guy paid up front for a ride to Williamsburg. When we got close he reached over the seat, grabbed my money and ran across through a marsh. I ran after him..... I knew "robbery robbery" wouldn't get much attention..... so I was yelling "rape, rape" running after him..... but he got away.... no one came to my aid.... turns out it was a retirement community.... they couldn't have held this guy if they did happen to catch him. I got my money back, eventually. I picked him up at the Princess Anne Courthouse. Turns out he spent the night in jail in Virginia Beach.... and they went right to his house to pick him up....once I found a pay phone to call for help. Come to think of it.... I always felt safe driving that cab.
I read the Bible from cover to cover while driving a cab. I bought a "paraphrased" Bible. It was written in plain english. The translation wasn't as easy to check out as the NIV or the American Standard translations.... but it was close enough for me to get the story. I covered my Bible with a brown paper book cover. Having a Bible on your seat starts some rather bizarre conversations, I found. We use to drive the soap starts on CBN to the airport. We would pick them up at Pat Robertson's place. If they saw that Bible on my seat.... they would start preaching way over my head. Then again.... if they didn't see that Bible on my seat..... they would spend the entire trip saving my soul..... even after I told them I knew Jesus.
The point is..... safety. Did you know that Pat Robertson prayed away a hurricane? Check out this report from christianpost.com. The headline was "'We Prayed and Look at That': Pat Robertson Credits Prayer for Redirecting Hurricane Florence Away From His Ministries " I was in Virginia Beach when hurricane Florence was off the coast. I lived at 23rd and Pacific.... a block off the beach..... I was up all night long.... I just knew we were going to have a hurricane and I could get some sleep later..... but it never hit..... and I had to go to work.... after being on hurricane watch all night.... never liked Pat Robertson again after that..... not that I was all that enamored anyway.
After the earthquakes.... the famines... the wild animals.... the toppled governments..... and the war to end all wars.... there will be a new highway. The only ones who will be around are the ones who survived. All the evil humans will be disposed of. It will be heaven on earth!!! And there will be a safe highway to travel...... I bet the cabs won't have meters. Hey... for some humans.... heaven wouldn't be heaven unless they could be a cabbie.....
;coffee: