Isaiah 66:1-24

All things will be made right at the end.  Today’s world is full of injustice, suffering and idolatry.  God did not create the world to function in this way and it will not function in this way for very long.  Sin is a temporary condition in the history of man.  A time is coming when all the unbelievers who have rejected the Lord will be eternally judged and removed from the presence of God and His children.  God will usher in an eternity of life without the presence of any kind of sin or any of the consequences of sin.  We, who have trusted Christ, will finally be “free at last, free at last; thank God all mighty, we’ll be free at last.” 

GOD IS HONORED BY THE HUMBLE: Men impress themselves by the offerings they bring and the sacrifices they make, but God is not impressed.  Everything we ever offer or any sacrifice we bring to the Lord has first of all come to us from Him.  He has need of nothing.  He takes delight in us when we come before Him in humility and contrition.  Our religious rituals may impress men and allow us to pretend some sort of gift to the Lord but these acts of self-righteousness do not pass for anything more than a veiled form of idolatry.  The poor and humble before God are in a far better position than the haughty religious who condemn the humble.  In the end the humble will be honored by the Lord because He is honored by our humility before Him.

GOD BRINGS JOY TO JERUSALEM: Despite the long history of rebellion, self-righteousness, pride and idolatry; there is hope for the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.  God brought the nation into existence from nothing.  God’s blessings have flown to her and will flow through her to other nations as the Lord shows Himself strong in her life.  God has promised to bring peace to the nation and cause all other nations to rejoice together with her.  This nation that has been scorned through the centuries and been a constant source of irritation to so many of the nations that surround her will become a place of rejoicing and a source of rejoicing to all of these nations.  This transformation seems unthinkable in our current state of affairs but it is the promise of God and will come to pass for His glory and the joy of all of mankind.


GOD DESTROYS THE DISOBEDIENT: The Lord’s return will not be a source of universal joy for all of mankind.  He comes in the flames of His wrath and will judge the flesh of men who have lived in rebellion against Him.  They have completely disregarded the revelation of God’s Word.  Though some members of all nations will be saved and blessed forevermore, there will also be some from every nation who have rejected God and His Word.  These will stand before God without excuse or justification.   Those who have trusted Christ will gather in the New Heaven and New Earth to worship the Lord and bring glory to Him but will look out upon the multitudes of the disobedient who will lie dead in the streets while their souls are eternally tormented because of their sin.  We will be abhorred by this judgment but our Lord will be eternally adored.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than a...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more