Isaiah’s Messianic Prophecy
December 24, 2012
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death[a]
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,[b] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:2-7)
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Syrian Prophecy
December 11, 2012
Syria is in the middle of a civil war as part of a Islamic revolution, in several nations, that has been ongoing in the Middle-East for a couple of years. The country is trying to topple their current dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and, probably, replace him with an even more radical fundamentalist Muslim leader.
In the meantime, Assad has threatened to use chemical and biological weapons on his own people in this violent struggle. He has also threatened to use these same weapons of mass destruction on Israel if the United States or United Nations tries to intervene in this civil war.
Damascus, of course, is the capital city of Syria, and it is the longest continually inhabited city on the face of the Earth (about 5000 years). There is a prophecy, however, regarding this city from the book of Isaiah: “…..See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus…..” (Isaiah 17:1-3).
If Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power, and the Syrian government unleashes its chemical and biological weapons on Israel, many believe the Israeli leader would use atomic weapons on Syria in response. This would fulfill the prophecy found in Isaiah l7.
What is the Christian to do in all of this? We are to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). And when we do this, we can know that God hears and answers prayer.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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The Harbinger
May 12, 2012
The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn
That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy?
That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?
That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?
Emmanuel
December 19, 2011
There are many prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) regarding the coming Messiah. These inspired words were written hundreds of years before Jesus would come to the Earth, and they cover everything from the place where Jesus would be born to the kind of death that He would die. And, thankfully for us, the prophets of the Old Testament wrote these things down so that we could read them thousands of years later.
Regarding the city where Jesus was born, the Prophet Micah writes, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). Not only does the prophet give the city where the Savior would be born, but he also tells us the tribe from which Jesus would come.
After Jesus was born, Herod ordered the killing of infant boys in an attempt to kill Israel’s Messiah, but Joseph and Mary fled with the baby to Egypt until Herod was dead. This is predicted in the writing of Hosea who states, “When Israel was a child, I loved him,and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).
The death of our Lord was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah who pens, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Also, in this passage, we read that the healing of our physical bodies would come from Christ’s death at Calvary.
Regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Psalmist David says, “…..because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (Psalm 16:10). David writes these words about a thousand years before they would be fulfilled.
As we approach the day that we celebrate as the Lord’s birthday, we can rejoice that not only did He come, but He died in our place. He brought about our salvation through His shed blood and then rose again on the third day as He said He would. The prophets foretold of this “Emmanuel,” and, indeed, “God is with us.”
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Election Year Politics
December 7, 2011
We are fast approaching the beginning of a new year, and, here, in the United States, not just any year but a Presidential election one. This blog has purposely avoided political posts because, in my belief, politics is a failure. My position on politics goes as follows: “If you have your hope, faith and trust in a party or an ideology or a man (other than the man Jesus), you will be sorely disappointed.”
The two-party system, in this country, has failed us. Both parties, Republican and Democrat, have led us in the wrong direction and are continuing to do so. One party has pretended to be the party of the “little man,” but it is now leading us down a path to totalitarianism. The other party has masked itself as the one that is “pro-family” while supporting issues that go against the family. They are jointly taking our country down the road to destruction- economically, socially, morally, etc.
They have given us judges who have said that it is okay to abort a child, but wrong to display the Ten Commandments in a public place. These same legal “experts” have told us that prayer in the public schools is “out-of-bounds” while perversion is the norm. In the final analysis, the two-party system has given us justices who do not know right from wrong.
Sadly, there are many, even in the Christian community, who think that mankind has the ability to bring about a utopian-type of life on the planet. Their hope is only in the political and not the spiritual. This, according to Scripture, will not happen. If man could save himself, we wouldn’t need Jesus.
But here’s the good news- Jesus is coming soon to set up His kingdom. Of Him, the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “…..and the government will be on his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). When that day comes, peace and justice will finally come to the earth because the Prince of Peace will reign and the Wicked One will have been defeated. For me, that day cannot come too soon.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The City of David
September 1, 2011
When King David laid claim to the city of Jerusalem three-thousand years ago, this piece of land became the supernatural center of the universe. From that point on, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would hold “title” to this section of real estate. Jerusalem has several names, and in 2 Samuel, chapter 5, verse 7, it is referred to as “the fortress of Zion.” But whatever the name, it will always be God’s property.
Although many conquerors have passed through and temporarily controlled the city, the prophets of the Old Testament predicted that the Jewish people would, again, take back this city and nation in the “last days.” And in 1948, these prophecies of old came to pass with the re-establishment of the nation of Israel.
Jerusalem, however, would not be unified until the miracle of the Six-Day War of 1967 (miracle in that Israel should have lost this war). But for the last forty-four years, this city has been in the hands of the rightful owners: the Jewish people. The people of God had returned to the nation and city of God.
Although most of the world (the United Nations, news media, religious communities, public opinion, etc.) stand at odds with Israel and the Jewish people and their existence, they exist nonetheless. God’s promises, in the Bible, have come true, and the City of David is ruled, once again, by the sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The prophets have also predicted that in the “last days” the nations of the world would come against the Jewish nation and the city of Jerusalem. The Prophet Zechariah, quoting the Lord, states, “‘I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves’” (Zechariah 12:2-3). God is sending His warning against any who would interfere with the Jewish rule over Jerusalem. We see these events, however, unfolding before us today.
For the Christian, though, Jerusalem will be the place where Jesus comes in all of His glory. Once again the Prophet Zechariah writes, “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (Zechariah 14:4). There will finally be peace on the Earth when “the government [is] on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). At that time, Jesus will reign on His throne, and that throne will rest in Jerusalem.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Call of Isaiah
July 9, 2011
Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah’s Commission
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
The Prophet Isaiah was one of Israel’s most renowned prophets. His writings and prophesies in the Old Testament regarding the coming Messiah are some of the greatest works of the Bible. The words of the prophet, written over two-thousand years ago, are beautiful and at the same time fill one with awe. He is also one of the most quoted authors in the pages of the New Testament.
The vision that Isaiah saw is reminiscent of other famous visions in the Bible like that of John, Ezekiel and Paul. Just as these other men of God had “extreme encounters” with the Lord, Isaiah’s vision shows that the call of God is a life-altering event. The prophet would never be the same after this happening.
Being called of God is one of the most humbling experiences one could have. Isaiah, as is shown in the verses of Scripture, feels initially unworthy. He senses the gravity of the moment and realizes his utter worthlessness.
The fact that Isaiah not only heard God’s voice but also immediately responded in the affirmative speaks volumes. His initial feelings of inadequacy did not prevent him from plunging in once God beckoned. This man of God accepted the challenge from the Lord even though he knew he did not deserve this honor.
Isaiah became well aware of his impurity when standing before God. This scene reminds one of the episode in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve became aware of their nakedness. Isaiah must have felt the same panic that Adam and Eve felt when the eyes of God were upon him.
In the call of Isaiah, we are allowed to see Isaiah’s unrighteousness, God’s holiness and the change that occurred in Isaiah after his confession and cleansing. Isaiah was a new man. The radical spiritual “overhaul” would leave its mark on the prophet forever. And through his writings, we too, have been privileged to see, hear and feel what the prophet experienced.
Isaiah was not forced into submitting to God’s call. He could have responded negatively. He could have chosen the route that Jonah took. But he did not. Because of his obedience to God, he and his readers have been blessed. Isaiah’s life and ministry are an example of what God can do when one is humble, repentant and willing.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
