Lesson #45

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RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

ISAIAH 56 AND 57
Lesson #45
THE FUTURE KINGDOM AND THE PRESENT KINGDOM

• MEMORY VERSE: ISAIAH 57:19

• IN ISA 56 AND 57 WE ARE STILL LOOKING AT THE RESULTS OF THE CRUCIFIXION EXPLAINED IN ISA 53.

• READ ISA 56:1-2 LAW IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM
  • TODAY WE LIVE IN THE CHURCH AGE. IT IS A PERIOD OF GRACE. WHEN JESUS CHRIST RETURN S TO ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH, IT WILL BE A NEW PERIOD OF LAW.
    • THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PERIOD THAT WE SEE IN THESE 2 VERSES, ARE:
      • RIGHTEOUSNESS
      • JUSTICE
      • RESTORATION OF THE SABBATH
    • THE SABBATH WAS GIVEN TO THE OLD TESTAMENT JEWS AS A SYMBOL OF THEIR OBEDIENT RELATIONSHIP TO GOD.
      • FOR JEWS AND GENTILES IN THE CHURCH AGE OF GRACE, WE ARE NOT BOUND BY LEGALISMS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW.
      • READ COL 2:16
  • MAT 5-7 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
    • THIS IS THE CODE OF LAW FOR THE KINGDOM AGE.
    • READ MAT 5:17-19
• READ ISA 56:3-8 THE FUTURE KINGDOM
  • WHO IS THE “STRANGER”? THE GENTILES.
    • WE HAVE SEEN THROUGH THE BOOK OF ISAIAH THAT GOD WILL FULFILL HIS COVENANT PROMISES TO THE JEWS IN THE MILLENNIUM.
    • THE GENTILES ARE NOT TO FEEL AS THOUGH THEY ARE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS IN THE KINGDOM BECAUSE OF THE ELEVATION OF THE JEWISH NATION. THIS PASSAGE TELLS US THAT THE BLESSINGS OF THE KINGDOM WILL BE EXTENDED TO EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD.
  • WHO IS THE “EUNUCH? ANYONE PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED AN OUTCAST.
    • THE EUNUCH WAS PROHIBITED FROM SERVING AS A PRIEST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT KINGDOM OF LAW UNDER MOSES. HOWEVER, IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, NO ONE WILL BE CALLED AN OUTCAST, AND NO ONE WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM THE BLESSINGS OF GOD..
    • NOTICE ISA 56:6
      • IT TALKS ABOUT THOSE WHO “JOIN THEMSELVES TO THE LORD”, AND THOSE WHO “TAKETH HOLD OF MY COVENANT”.
        • THESE PHRASES REFER TO PEOPLE WHO, BY FREE-WILL CHOICE, MAKE A DECISION TO ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR PERSONAL SAVIOR.
  • “AN HOUSE OF PRAYER” (7)
    • JESUS QUOTED FROM ISA 56:7 WHEN HE CLEANSED THE TEMPLE THE SECOND TIME. (MAT 21:12-13)
      • GOD HAD INTENDED THAT THE TEMPLE BE FOR ALL PEOPLE, BUT THE JEWS HAD SEPARATED THE TEMPLE AREA INTO SECTIONS THAT RESTRICTED PEOPLE. FOR EXAMPLE THERE WAS THE “COURT OF THE GENTILES” AND “THE COURT OF THE WOMEN”.
    • “YET WILL I GATHER OTHERS TO HIM, BESIDE THOSE THAT ARE GATHERED UNTO HIM.” (8)
      • “THOSE THAT ARE GATHERED” ARE THE JEWS, WHILE THE “OTHERS” ARE THE GENTILES.

• READ ISA 56:9-12 THE PRESENT KINGDOM
  • THIS SECTION REFERS TO THE KINGDOM OF ISAIAH’S DAY. THIS IS THE KINGDOM BEFORE THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY.
    • THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD ARE JUDAH’S ENEMIES THAT COME TO DEVOUR GOD’S PEOPLE. NATIONS SUCH AS THE ASSYRIANS AND BABYLONIANS. THESE ARE THE NATIONS THAT CAME TO DESTROY JERUSALEM.
      • THROUGH HISTORY THE CITY OF JERUSALEM HAS BEEN DESTROYED AT LEAST 27 TIMES.
  • WHO DO YOU THINK ARE THE “WATCHMEN”, THE “DUMB DOGS”, THE “GREEDY DOGS”, AND “THE SHEPHERDS” IN ISA 56:10-11?
    • READ PHIL 3:2 MAT 7:15
      • EVERY SHEPHERD HAD A DOG WHO HELPED THE SHEPHERD CONTROL THE SHEEP. THE DOG WOULD BARK WILDLY WHEN A WILD BEAST WAS NEAR TO WARN THE SHEPHERD OF DANGER.
        • THESE ARE THE FALSE TEACHERS, FALSE PREACHERS, AND FALSE PROPHETS. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING OUT FOR THE SPIRITUAL WELFARE OF GOD’S PEOPLE LIKE A GOOD NIGHT WATCHMAN, BUT INSTEAD THEY BECAME LIKE DOGS WHO DID NOT BARK WHEN DANGER CAME NEAR. IN TIME THEY BECAME THE HUNGRY, WILD DOGS THAT SEEK THEIR OWN GAIN. INSTEAD OF BEING GOOD SHEPHERDS THAT WATCHED OVER THEIR FLOCKS, THEY BECAME LIKE WOLVES THAT DEVOURED THEIR PEOPLE, THE SHEEP.

• READ ISA 56:1-1-9 THE CROSSROADS OF LIFE
  • WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF ISA 57?

• A CROSSROAD IS AN INTERSECTION WHERE YOU MUST MAKE A DECISION WHICH WAY YOU WILL GO TO CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY. THIS CHAPTER POINTS OUT THE TWO CHOICES. JESUS TALKED ABOUT THESE SAME TWO CHOICES.
  • READ MAT 7:13-15
• JESUS SAID THESE SAME TWO CHOICES WOULD EXIST TOGETHER UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE.
  • READ MAT 13:24-30
• A PROMISE TO THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS:
  • “…THE RIGHTEOUS IS TAKEN AWAY FROM EVIL TO COME.” (1)
  • GOD WILL REMOVE THE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE THE TRIBULATION BEGINS. THIS IS WHAT WE CALL “THE RAPTURE”.

• A DESCRIPTION OF THE WAY OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS:
  • THE PRACTICE OF EVIL IS PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. (3)
  • THE UNRIGHTEOUS HAVE PERSECUTED THE RIGHTEOUS. (4)
    • THE PRACTICE OF IDOL WORSHIP (5-9) WHICH INCLUDES:
    • CHILD SACRIFICE (5)
      • TELLING THE FUTURE BY USING RIVER STONES (6)
      • SATANIC SACRIFICES IN MOUNTAIN TOP PAGAN TEMPLES. (7)
      • HOUSEHOLD IDOLS AND HOME ALTARS. (8)
      • A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO SATAN AND HIS DEMONS. (8)
        • (“MADE THEE A COVENANT WITH THEM” VS. 8)
      • PAGAN HERO WORSHIP OF A KING OR EMPEROR. (9)
        • THE PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO SATAN AND HIS DEMONS. (“MADE THEE A COVENANT WITH THEM”) (8)

• READ ISA 57:10-13a THE SPIRITUAL ATTITUDE OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS
  • THE UNRIGHTEOUS PEOPLE LIVE AN EVIL LIFE, BUT THEY NEVER GET TIRED OF THAT KIND OF LIFE STYLE. IT REMINDS ME OF THE LIFESTYLE OF THE BIG CRIME BOSSES OF THE MAFIA. IT’S A WAY OF LIFE PASSED DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT WHERE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU WILL ANGER SOME BOSS WHO IS HIGHER UP THAT WILL PUT OUT A HIT ON YOU. YOU ARE ALWAYS WALKING ON EGG SHELLS.
    • ISAIAH SAYS THAT EVIL PEOPLE NEVER GET TIRED OF THIS LIFE STYLE NOR DOES THEIR CONSCIENCE BOTHER THEM OVER IT, (10)
      • NOR DO THEY EVER FEAR GOD AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT. (11-12)
  • VERSE 13 IS THE CROSSROADS. IT SHOWS YOU THE GREAT DIVIDE BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS.

• READ ISA 57:13b-19 HE, WHO DIVIDES MAKES AN ULTIMATE PROMISE
  • WHAT IS THE STUMBLING BLOCK THAT LIES IN THE WAY OF THE JEWS? (14)
    • JESUS CHRIST
      • READ 1PETER 2:7-8
        • IT IS OVER JESUS CHRIST THAT THE JEWS STUMBLE. HE IS AN OFFENSE TO THEM. THE RIGHTEOUS CALL FOR JESUS TO OVERCOME THIS STUMBLING BY THE JEWS.
          • THE STUMBLING IS TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY AT THE SECOND COMING WHEN THE JEWS ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR MESSIAH. (ZEC 12:10-13:1)
  • NOT ONLY DOES 1PETER IDENTIFY THE ROCK OF STUMBLING AS JESUS CHRIST, BUT ISAIAH ALSO IDENTIFIES HIM IN VERSE 15.
    • (COMPARE ISA 57:15 WITH LUK 1:49.)
  • THE ULTIMATE PROMISE:
    • GOD’S LONGSUFFERING MERCY WILL END ONE DAY. (16)
      • HEALING AND RESTORATION OF THE LOST NATION OF ISRAEL. (18-19)
    • THE END RESULT OF THE TWO ROADS OF LIFE:
  • THE RIGHTEOUS INHERIT PEACE AND HEALING. (19)
  • THE UNRIGHTEOUS INHERIT FILTH AND A LACK OF PEACE. (20-21)
    • WHAT IS MEANT BY PEACE?
      • PEACE WITH GOD IS THE MEANING HERE. SIN SEPARATES MAN FROM GOD. SEPARATION FROM GOD MEANS MAN CANNOT ENTER INTO GOD’S KINGDOM OF ETERNAL LIFE.
      • PEACE WITH GOD IS ONLY OBTAINED BY THE BLOOD SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST EXPLAINED IN ISA 53.
  • THE PHRASING OF THE WORDS IN ISA 57:21 CLOSE THIS SECTION OF THE BOOK OF ISAIAH.
    • IT IS THE SAME PHRASING THAT WE SAW IN ISA 48:22 WHICH ALSO CLOSED A SECTION OF THE BOOK. THE SECTION WE HAVE JUST CONCLUDED IS ABOUT THE SALVATION OF GOD THROUGH THE SUFFERING SERVANT.

HOMEWORK
ISAIAH 58
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• APPLICATION OF ISA 56 AND 57
  • WE MAY NOT HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME FORM AND PRACTICE OF IDOL WORSHIP IN OUR CULTURE TODAY, BUT WE STILL HAVE IDOL WORSHIP.
  • REMEMBER THAT AN IDOL IS ANYTHING THAT YOU PUT IN PLACE OF GOD. TO DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE IDOLS IN YOUR LIFE, ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS:
    • WHERE DO I FIRST TURN IN A CRISIS?

• WHERE DO I TURN WHEN I NEED TO MAKE AN INTELLIGENT DECISION?

• PREPARATION FOR ISA 58
  • READ ISA 58:1-14
    • WHY IS GOD UPSET WITH HIS PEOPLE FOR FASTING?

• IN COMPARING ISAIAH’S DAY WITH JESUS’ 3 ? YEARS ON EARTH, WHAT SIMILARITIES DO YOU SEE?
• MEMORY VERSE: MATTHEW 15:8