Isaiah 2 vs 1-22

Isaiah Chapter 2 Verses 1 – 4
•These are awesome words of hope not just for Israel but for the entire world! (As he mentions the “nations” in verse 4). And the message summed up is, hey…things are really not so great now. Difficult in the land, enemies literally on all sides, people that won’t consider or listen to the One True God, people suffering everywhere and even dark days ahead…but…but, it will come to pass, it will happen, that the Lord will establish His rule and the world will be taught His ways, His Word will go forth and we all will walk in His paths.
•When? When will this be? Isaiah says that these are the “latter days,” which refers here contextually/scripturally/biblically to the Millennial Reign of Jesus on this earth. After the time of the Great Tribulation upon the earth, spoken of throughout the Bible and in detail in Revelation Chapter 6 through 19, that seven-year period of time where judgment is upon the earth, after that there is described for us again throughout the Bible and yet in detail in Revelation Chapter 20 (truly detailed in Psalm 72 – the entire chapter), a span of 1,000 years where Jesus will rule and reign on this earth from Jerusalem.
•Israel will be the national lead of all nations. No other kings, presidents, authorities, organizations…the entire world will be united under the leadership, direction and authority of Jesus Christ and He will reign from “the mountain of the Lord’s house,” which we interpret to be the Temple Mount.
•Jesus will put an end to all wars and conflicts and it will be a time of strictly enforced righteousness. In His first coming, we are told in Philippians 2:7-8 that “He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” But Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:16, “Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer…” And so, in His second coming, when Jesus returns (Revelation 19) to usher in the 1,000-year Millennial Reign, all of those limitations He submitted Himself to at His first coming will be no longer and Jesus omnipotent and omniscient will rule and reign physically, emotionally and spiritually upon this earth.
•So, yea, argument…flesh? BOOM…Jesus is there talking about, “Welcome to My planet, how can I help?” And so, the tools of war will be paperweights, literally…and all of the effort and resources spent on self-protection and national defense and offense and advantage will be shifted to producing food and sustenance for the people. Check this out, just think about this, in 2019, the US spent in total roughly $744B on public welfare (or 22% of direct general spending). In that same year, the US spent in total roughly $734B on military spending.
•Now, in this day and age and world, I’m thankful for the priority our country puts on supporting our military and investment in battlefield advantage for our sons and daughters in uniform. BUT, in a world where that is no longer necessary? Just in the US alone, 1.2 million people working not in military uniform but humanitarian uniform? Awesome! Not learning war but learning carpentry or architecture or farming…or Bible teaching, or worship leading!!
Isaiah Chapter 2 Verses 5 – 9
•You know, your land could be full of silver and gold, horses and chariots, and outstanding work of your own hands and it could be very well, well pleasing to the Lord and awesome for you and your family. The problem is when that stuff is mixed with idolatry. The worst is when that stuff is led by idolatry. In their proper places, the things that this world provides for us in terms of success and resources and even riches are exactly the plan of God…but out of their proper place, they are exactly against the plan of God.
•Speaking on all the things in this world that we could want or need, Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” They will become additions, pluses in your life. But seek not God first, put something else first or as more important in my life, and these wonderful things can quickly and absolutely become subtractions from me and my life!
•It’s like a fire. In its proper place, a fire pit or a fire place or my gas driven hot water heater or my combustion engine in my vehicle, in its right place there is SO much added to my life. Warmth and prepared food and hot water and the ability to go on down the road. I mean come on…what a blessing! Blessings upon blessings! Pleasures upon pleasures! And we eat and drink and enjoy what God has provided.
•But out of its place fire can destroy everything I have and even those that I love… We can all slip into this… I have a propensity totally to idolatry. Because as a Christian, I am to work hard, I am to do things with my whole heart…so how do I keep things correct in my life…? Next verse….
Isaiah Chapter 2 Verses 10 – 11
•There is a negative and a positive type here. This does point to the destruction of those that reject God that will come upon the earth during The Great Tribulation. This was given to us in Revelation 6:12-16, “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”
•But this also is a message of hope for those that would choose the opposite. To reject the flesh and embrace the heart of the Lord for them today. That’s a huge thing right there! Although we still sin, and we all still battle and struggle with the flesh, have you, personal decision, have you chosen that the flesh is not who and what you want to be? That is to reject the flesh and now even though you may still struggle, you struggle from a place of rejection of the flesh rather than from a place of being deceived and overcome and in league with the flesh!
•And that’s the positive type given to us here that with the rejection of the flesh, we enter in to the Rock. Psalm 18:31, “For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” BUT, but but but, no one enters into the Lord, without humility…through dust as it were, rejecting self and choosing God and by your own free will bowing down haughtiness in your heart of hearts…it’s only then that God is exalted. One throne, man. Every heart only has one throne…
•And the crazy odd thing is that now, for the man or woman who has enthroned God in their hearts, rejected the flesh and embraced humility, which is the one and only way to have God exalted in you, the crazy odd thing is that verses 12 through 18 are fantastic news!
Isaiah Chapter 2 Verses 12 – 18
•Is that, as you read that, is that not the most wonderful hope and news of what is yet ahead? If not, perhaps that’s an incredibly revealing heart check! Everything proud and lofty, everything that exalts itself against the Lord will be utterly abolished….; like gone, every bit of it and even every bit of me that remains that still does this sort of thing…GONE. And God alone will be exalted.
Isaiah Chapter 2 Verses 19 – 22
•All of this points prophetically and specifically to Revelation Chapter 6 which we already read. When God literally shakes the earth and it appears evident in the Word of God that all men on the earth…they all know that it is God doing this and yet rather than turning to Him, they seek shelter from Him. Even when things are obvious, there really is no humility, there is no strength to set self-down and be ok with bowing low in order to acknowledge God and essentially change teams…
•And the prophet closes this chapter, and I so love this, “Sever yourselves from such a man.” We are told to not yoke ourselves together with those that aren’t living to serve the Lord (2 Corinthians 6) because under that one yoke there will be two masters… Can’t work that way. One throne. That’s all my heart has. And if my life mission is different than theirs, all that will happen is continual conflict…
•But, and….what if that man is me? Ephesians 4:22-24, “Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Have you, in your heart of hearts, made the personal decision to follow Jesus and not self?
•Such a man as we have read in this chapter… someone living for silver and gold, trusting in chariots and horses, what you have or your talents or yourself, your strengths, someone with loftiness of heart, haughtiness of spirit, even when it is obvious…the Word of God rings in your ears and you know you are in the wrong, and yet you do not turn to God and humble yourself, is that man/woman on the throne of your heart? There is only one way to exalt God to the throne personally and that is to sever yourself from such a one…even if that one is you… The word means “fail.” Fail the flesh. The flesh and the nature of man…fail it and take up the nature of God and choose the Spirit. It’s called repentance, it’s called being saved.