The American Wisdom Series

Presents pamphlet #6401

The Book of Isaiah
Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

The name Isaiah means the "salvation of Yah" and so the translated title of this wondrous book would read "The Book of the Salvation of Yahveh", for it is the vision, which is the oracle or the proclamation of the Anointed One of God, the Messiah who would come and bring His salvation to whosoever will! This great book is therefore the story of the only way to salvation, the only way to everlasting peace and happiness, for no matter how hard man strives or how high he build his own towers to the heavens, there is no other way to eternal life except through Yahshua, which is to say Yahveh's Savior.

It is interesting that since the salvation of Yahveh is the central theme in the Word of God that the Book of Isaiah falls squarely in the middle. There are also 66 books in the Word of God and there are 66 chapters in Isaiah. Likewise it is by no coincidence that the prophet Isaiah is quoted 85 times in the New Testament, which is more times than any other prophet! That means that we are going to get quite a bit of New Testament teaching as we go through this book chapter by chapter and verse by verse. A few other interesting facts about Isaiah are (1.) that out of those 85 quotations there are 61 separate verses quoted, (2) it would be from chapter 61 that Jesus would stand up in the temple and read from the scroll of Isaiah, and (3) Isaiah prophesied 61 years from 641-588 BC as contemporaries of Hosea, whose name means "salvation", Micah, whose name means "who is like Yahveh", and Nahum, whose name means "comfort" as in comforter.

We should also make note in our introductory that the higher critics, who are those vain intellectual types who make their living writing books and teaching at institutions of higher learning in an effort to discredit the Word of God and sow seeds of doubt among our people concerning the truth of our Father's Word, claim that all of Isaiah was not actually written by him. They claim there must be a dual authorship because chapters 40 through 66, often called the latter part or the second book of Isaiah which introduces Messiah, appear to them as having been written at a later date. Nice try fellas... but no cigar! Dr. Bullinger points out in his introductory comments to Isaiah on page 930 of the Companion Bible, that "according to tradition, Isaiah perished in the Manassean persecution: when, it is said, he took refuge inside a hollow mulberry tree, which Manasseh ordered to be sawn through." Many scholars feel that Heb. 11:37 is in reference to this. The point is that it would seem that the higher critics would saw Isaiah asunder again by claiming that he only wrote half the book, the former part, i.e. chapters 1-39. But again, not only do none of their claims stand the test of honest scholarship but there are actually 21 times in the New Testament that Isaiah is named as the author of this prophecy*. Then too as we noted earlier, Jesus Christ stood up in the temple as it is written in Luke 4:17 and opened the book of the prophet Esaias (Greek for Isaiah) that was handed to Him and read from chapter 61. And so we will let the New Testament credentials stand in answer to the higher critics claim and move to the conclusion of our introductory by going to the account in Luke chapter 4 and read the passage from which Messiah read, for in it we learn that the great Book of Isaiah, the salvation of Yahveh, contains the proclamations of both the first and the second advents.

* Note: If you are fortunate to have a Companion Bible, Kregel Publications, appendixes 79, 80, and 82 will provide you with further documentation as to the authenticity of a single author. Of course the real author of the book is Almighty God Himself.

Luke 4:16-22
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

[17] And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written,

The Lord did not just arbitrarily open the book but rather found the exact text where it was written of Him, the anointed one of God, the One who would come and bring salvation.
[18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Jesus the "Christos", the "anointed one of God", was sent to this world to preach the gospel, which is to announce the good news, and bring healing and salvation unto whosoever will. That is what the Word of God does! The whosoever won't will face Him as King of kings and Lord of lords in the Millennium.
[19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
This verse is quoted from Isaiah 61:2, but notice that Jesus only quoted half the verse! Here is the entire verse from Isaiah 61:2:
Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
The "day of vengeance" happens at the second advent when Jesus Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords to take vengeance upon His enemies and to execute justice in all the earth.
[20] And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.
The question is, "Are your eyes fastened on Him when He speaks?"
[21] And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. [22] And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
The "gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth" is the Word of God! How gracious indeed our Father is to give us such a wonderful blessing, Yahshua Messiah!

Let us now learn from the prophet Isaiah concerning the salvation of Yah as he begins by giving us a synopsis of the book as a whole in this first chapter.

Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Once again, a "vision" is an oracle or revelation and so it is that this wondrous book is "the vision or revelation of the salvation of Yah"!
vision, chazown, khaw-zone', Hebrew 2377; from Hebrew 2372 (chazah); a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation, or oracle :- vision.
It is written concerning the last days that God would pour out His spirit (of truth) upon His sons and daughters, who are brothers and sisters (adelphos), and they would "see visions", which are the same visions that the prophets saw. In other words, they would understand (see) the visions of the prophets and they would teach them to their loved ones and whosoever would open his or her eyes to see and ears to hear. And not only would the sons and daughters understand the visions of the prophets and teach them, they would also be privileged to see them come to pass in their generation, the generation of the fig tree... even as they themselves take part in fulfilling the prophecies concerning the wondrous works of God spoken on that first Pentecost Day in Acts chapter 2!
 
Now notice that the vision which Isaiah, the son of Amoz whose name means the "strong one" (hence, Isaiah the son of the Strong One), concerns Judah and Jerusalem, i.e. all twelve tribes (nations) of Israel. It is also recorded that he prophesied during the days of four kings of Judah, Uzziah through Hezekiah.
Uzziah = Strength of Yahveh.
Jotham = Yahveh is perfect
Ahaz = Possessor
Hezekiah = Strengthened by Yahveh
And so it would be that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Anointed One of God, would come forth to "heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised", i.e. to bring salvation. Let us check the condition of God's children and see if they have need of salvation.
[2] Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
The Hebrew word used for LORD is Yahveh, which is the sacred name so often changed by the Sopherim to Adonai, and so it is Yahveh, the great I AM that I AM, who is speaking to both heaven and earth. Those who are familiar with the Song of Moses in Deut. 32, that same song the overcomers of the beast are singing in Rev. 15, will immediately recognize the same voice!
Deut. 32:1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
The Song of Moses gives the entire outline of God's Plan in this final generation and yet our foolish people do not know it... which is why they are foolish, because they know not their Father's Word!
Deut. 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy Father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
Where did you come from dear Christian? How is it that you are so blessed to live in this nation?
Deut. 32:18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
This answers to the question, "How have His children rebelled against Him?" They have "forgotten" Him, even to the point that they have lost their national identity and many Christians in this nation who are pure blooded Israelites call themselves gentiles. Oh, many remember to go to church every Sunday but they ignore His Word. All they know and hear about is the milk of salvation and baptism and so they remain as spiritual babes who cannot eat and digest a full course meal (with meat) from their Father's Word because they are dull of hearing and unskillful in the Word of God. Hebrews 5:13, "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." So what does one do with a bunch of foolish and unwise kids who won't listen? Well, you let them suffer the consequences of their own actions.
Deut. 32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
Do you know what faith is? Paul defines it for us in Hebrews 11:1.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is "sub-stance" which means what is "under you" (hupo in Greek) that you "stand upon" (stasis)! In other words, it is your foundation! You "see", as you study and absorb the Word of God you build that foundation under you to the point that you know what God's Word has to say and you have not a "shadow" of a doubt that His Word is true and His promises are sure. Your faith thus becomes "Rock solid" and you cannot be shaken in mind or spirit because you stand upon that Rock (Mat. 7:24-25).
hupostasis, hoop-os'-tas-is, Greek 5287; from a compound of Greek 5259 (hupo) and Greek 2476 (histemi); a setting under (support), i.e. (figurative) concrete essence, or abstract assurance (object or subject) :- confidence, confident, person, substance.
The point to Deut. 32:20 is that there are multitudes of Christians who claim to believe in and have faith in God. Again, many even attend church regularly and do good deeds in the name of Christianity, however their faith is built upon "sand" which is analogous to the traditions of men! And so when the great time of testing comes and the four winds begin to blow, they and their houses will not stand. Yes, it is written that they shall fall in the great stumbling, in the great apostasy of these last days, because they have no real "faith" though they claim they do! The truth of the matter is that "They are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith (Deut. 32:20)!"

Our Father continues.

Isaiah 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Think about this comparison. Our Father says that dumb animals know who takes care of them and provides for them! In fact, even a dumb ass knows where his lord has placed the crib, which is the feed bin. And yet you my children, the children of Israel, don't even know who you are... i.e. that you are of the natural seedline of Jacob, Israel!

You "see", the crib is analogous to the Word of God, which is where the green pasture is, the table of Lord, the place where His children are to go to gather the rich manna from our heavenly Father, etc. But it would seem most of our people are just too busy to take the time to stop and "consider" where their blessings come from, and that pretty much tells the story of the Baby Boomer generation who have grown up amidst peace and prosperity. They have become "rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing"... as far as wisdom and instruction from their Father's Word is concerned. Once again this is declared in the Song of Moses, the outline and storyboard of the final generation.

Deut. 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
To "forsake God" is not to believe He does not exist, but rather to ignore His Word by not studying it. And by forsaking Him, ignoring the Word of God, they "lightly esteem" Jesus Christ!
lightly esteem, nabel, naw-bale', Hebrew 5034; a primitive root; to wilt; generally to fall away, fail, faint; figurative to be foolish or (moral) wicked; causative to despise, disgrace :- disgrace, dishonour, lightly esteem, fade (away, -ing), fall (down, -ling, off), do foolishly, come to nought, × surely, make vile, wither.
Forsaking our Heavenly Father is the iniquity of our people! And talk about "failing" and "fainting", we have even permitted antichristian groups and judges to take prayer out of our public schools and ban the carrying of Bibles to classrooms! Imagine that! As the saying goes, "You've come a long way baby boomer!" Did you know the public schools were originally set up in this country to teach our children how to read God's Word?  It reminds me of the letter a little girl wrote to God following the shooting at the Columbine school:
Dear God,

"Why didn't you save those kids at the Columbine school?"

To which God replied:
My dear child,

"I am not allowed in school."

How do you think our Father feels about our "lightly esteeming" the Rock of His salvation? He tells in the next verse!
Isaiah 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
He is provoked, scorned, and it hurts Him greatly! Yes, we pride ourselves in the progress of our technological achievements while we spiritually regress as we are gone (turn) away backward like a bunch of adulterers and adulteresses from the very One who has provided and blessed us nationally beyond measure according His covenant, the unconditional promises He made to our forefather Abraham and confirmed in Isaac and Jacob!
gone away, zuwr, zoor, Hebrew 2114; a primitive root; to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery :- (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange (-r, thing, woman).
[5] Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Give one good reason why you shouldn't have your derrière kicked from here to eternity? As it is written, there is nothing new under the sun and as it was in the first earth age, our people have once again allowed Satan to draw them away from the truth and justice that flows from the Word of God. Where are the spiritual leaders who should have been laboring in the field and tending the garden? Answer: They themselves are spiritually sick and their hearts are faint, meaning they do not have the fortitude to take a stand.
[6] From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
From head to foot there is no soundness, no wholeness. How can there be when we forsake the truth and wisdom of His Word and substitute humanism and liberalism in its stead. Yes, we have become a sick people, spiritually speaking, and no part of us remains whole and unaffected. As a former employer of mine always used to say: "A fish smells from its head down!" and many of both our spiritual and civil leaders stink to high heaven!
 
Go back a read once again the first verse in Isaiah 61 and see what it is that "heals the bruises" of our people! It is the "ointment" (shemen, olive oil), even the Anointed One, the very Word of God, that mollifies our wounds! So it should be no mystery that because we have chosen to follow the wrong roadmap to peace and safety and prosperity and ignore the truth and justice that flows from the living water, we shall reap the unseemly and painful consequences thereof.
[7] Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
Our Father has spoken! He has fully warned us of the consequences of forsaking Him and neglecting His laws and statutes. And so it is that our land is becoming increasingly spiritually desolate, a desert full of (spiritually) dry bones (Ezk. 37) where the kenites, that locust army, the strangers in our land, have already devoured us and overthrown us... if you have eyes to see and ears to hear and are familiar with the Four Hidden Dynasties.
The Four Hidden Dynasties of the New World Order Revelation 6:1-8
doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse)
political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse)
economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse)
and teachings of our schools and media. (The Man on a Pale Horse)
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
Did you know all four are being ridden by Satan?
Click #1848, &#1011 or #1012 to learn more.
Deut. 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
You can read those curses yourself so we will just look at a few beginning is verse 42.
Deut. 28:42-46 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
Again, the locust army that comes against our people are the kenites, the strangers in our land, who have not only consumed the fruit of our land physically, they have consumed away our heritage, which is the knowledge of who we are, i.e. the children of the House of Israel, the so-called lost 10 tribes! If this is new to you, then get a copy of the booklet "The Abrahamic Covenant", by E. Raymond Capt.
You will find it at www.artisanpublishers.com      Or log unto pamphlets #1020 and #1064 here on our web site.
[43] The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
Yep, overthrown by strangers (Isaiah 1:7)!
[44] He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Are you familiar with the Hidden Dynasty of the Economy? For example, do you know that the Federal Reserve Banks are privately owned and are NOT part of our federal government? If this is also new to you, then get a copy of the booklet, "The Hidden Dynasty of the Economy" also at Artisan.
[45] Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee:
Thus the Lord has spoken! And so it is that by not holding fast to our Father's laws and statutes we have allowed the stranger, the kenites, Satan own children of darkness, to enter in and overtake us and spiritually desolate us through the power of the Four Hidden Dynasties which are Religion, Economics, Politics, and Education! They control our economy through their manipulation of the money supply, they change and corrupt our laws through politics and liberal judges in our courts, and they not only control the public education system where we send our innocent children to be indoctrinated into humanism and be socially engineered into world citizenry, they feed our people a steady diet of spiritual "garbage" and perversion through their movies, magazines, and the idiot box which runs 24/7 in many homes! The title of each days episode should be "As the World Turns... Away From God!" We need to return to "Father Knows Best" and begin listening to His Word and standing up for what is right!
The Four Hidden Dynasties of the New World Order Revelation 6:1-8

doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse)
political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse)
economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse)
and teachings of our schools and media. (The Man on a Pale Horse)

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
Did you know all four are being ridden by Satan?
We have allowed the four horsemen (See pamphlets #1848, & #1011 or #1012) to run to and fro and take our people captive.
[46] And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
We should have learned from the ensamples of the bondage and captivity of our forefathers, but we have not obeyed our Father's command to "Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation (Joel 1:3)."
Isa. 1:8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
These are simply figures of speech saying that we have been overrun and besieged because we have basically had no one to guard and watch over the fruit of the vineyard until harvest time! Well there you have it straight from your Father... the state of the union address! And it is not a pretty sight. Our Father is provoked! He is scorned because we have forsaken Him by forsaking His Word and we are spiritually slouching toward Sodom and Gomorrah and worthy of their same fate! To that end, our Father is going to have some stern words of admonition for our leaders and He is going to tell us how to get our act together!
 
What an incredible work this Book of Isaiah is! Our Father has so blessed us with His words of wisdom and instruction that bring us His blessings and produce happiness in our lives. How is it that we have so forsaken Him? Let us repent and return unto Him, to His Word, and the book in the middle of the Word titled "The Book of the Salvation of Yah" is a good place to begin!
 
In the opening verses of Isaiah, whose name means the "salvation of Yah", our Father gave us a spiritual state of the union address in which He showed us the need for His salvation by explaining how our people have become spiritually sick from head to foot and stricken with spiritual bruises and wounds and putrefying sores. He further stated that the whole country has become desolate (spiritually) and has been overthrown by the strangers in our land, who are the kenites, the sons of Cain, just as He said would happen in Deut. 28! He also said in verse 4 that He was provoked and quite angry that we His children have slid so far backwards, away from His Word which is the foundation of our freedom and prosperity and happiness... the very foundation of our constitution as His people, One Nation Under God!

That leaves us with not much to say except thank God our Father is merciful and loving in granting us the opportunity to receive salvation through His Savior, Jesus Christ, whom He anointed "to preach the gospel to the poor" and whom He sent "to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (Isa. 61:1)".

Let us now return to chapter one of Isaiah and learn what else our Father has to say concerning His plan of salvation.

Isaiah 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Woe! That's some pretty strong language and a very sobering analogy to have Almighty God compare us to Sodom and Gomorrah! Woe! You know what happened to the adulterers and adulteresses and fornicators and perverts of Sodom and Gomorrah, don't you? Genesis 19:24 "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven!" Go read Deuteronomy 29:23-29 and see what kindles the anger of the LORD against the land to the point that causes Him to overthrow it!
Deut. 29:23-29 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath:
Our Father had enough of what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah and as it is written, the cup of His wrath shall be filled up in these last days when the spiritual perversion in our land reaches an all time at the appearance of the false messiah who shall seduce our people and turn them into a bunch of spiritual harlots and adulteresses worse than those of Sodom and Gomorrah. In other words, they shall become gross idolaters who go whoring after Satan when he comes to earth as the spurious messiah.
[24] Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
Do you know the answer to those questions? Next verse:
[25] Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: [26] For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom He had not given unto them: [27] And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
Our Father means business and these things are written in His Word for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come! If we do not study them and take heed unto them, though we may "think" we are in good standing with our Father because of what the traditions of men have told us, we shall surely stumble and fall in the great apostasy at the appearance of the false-christ. Paul documents that for us in 1 Cor. 10:11-12.
1 Cor. 10:11-12 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. [12] Wherefore let him that thinketh he standethtake heed lest he fall.
Are you able to recognize how far our beloved people have been drawn away from the Word of God since the generation of the Baby Boomers began, all aided by the modern miracles of movies and television and radio and other mass media? Think about it!
 
Now, as we mentioned in our introduction, the prophet Isaiah is quoted 85 times in the New Testament, more than any other prophet, and we have only gotten to the 9th verse of the first chapter and already we have come across a quoted passage! The apostle Paul quotes from this chapter of Isaiah in Romans chapter nine, making reference to the small remnant of God as the "seed", who are those sons and daughters of Acts 2, the "seed" in Ps. 22:30-31 Christ spoke of while hanging on the cross. They are ones who would come (because they are sent) in the final generation to declare His righteousness, which is the truth of His Word, to a people who shall be born, the people born in the generation of the Fig Tree which was planted on May 15, 1948, and who shall see all these things come to pass (Matthew 24:34). Let us read what Paul wrote concerning that remnant, that seed. (Note: Esaias is Greek for Isaiah.)
Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
The remnant are God's elect in the final generation who were chosen before the foundation of this earth age (Eph. 1:4) to come declare His righteousness in these last days and to be His instruments in finishing the work!
[28] For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
Jesus Christ shortened the time of the defacto reign of Satan as the false-christ, else no one other than God's elect would be saved (Mat. 24:22). But for the elect's sake, in order that the time of teaching might be lengthened according to Rev. 7:1-4, those days when the abomination of desolation would stand in the holy place where he ought not, have been shortened. Matthew 24:22 "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Now here is the quote from Isa. 1:9:
[29] And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrah.
If it were not for God's elect, the whole land would receive the same judgment as Sodom and Gomorrah. Even so, the majority of our people will become spiritual harlots and adulterers (the analogy being idolaters) when the false bridegroom appears and seduces them into believing he is Messiah! They will not remain spiritual virgins unto the coming of the Lord, but rather will become the first ones taken in the field (Mat. 24:40) to the false messiah! Woe unto those with child (Mark 13:17), i.e. those who are spiritually impregnated by the false bridegroom before Christ returns!
Sodom, C*edom, sed-ome', Hebrew 5467; from an unused root meaning to scorch; burnt (i.e. volcanic or bituminous) district; Sedom, a place near the Dead Sea :- Sodom.
Gomorrah, `Amorah, am-o-raw', Hebrew 6017; from Hebrew 6014 (`amar); a (ruined) heap; Amorah, a place in Palestine :- Gomorrah.
So praise God for the remnant whom He has saved for these last days! Now let us hear what the word of the LORD has to say to the spiritual and even civil rulers of modern day Sodom and ye people of modern day Gomorrah!
Isaiah 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Again, He is likening us to Sodom and Gomorrah. Dr. Moffat has it, "Sodom of authorities, Gomorrah of citizens."  In other words, you listen up you spiritual leaders of Sodom as well as you people of Gomorrah who listen to and follow their lead!
[11] To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
What good is your religion and your churchianity? Your Father doesn't want your burnt offerings and sacrifices and all the other things you are taught to do by the traditions of men. He desires that His children love Him and be merciful and loving one another through the knowledge of His Word, which is righteousness! You will find that written in the great book of Hosea, whose name means "salvation".
Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Hang on to that thought for God is going to tell us a few verses hence how to get our act together.
Isaiah 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Who told you, you needed to do this churchy religious stuff, to follow after the traditions of men? Did you know that it is written in Matthew 7:21-23 that not everyone who cries Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven?
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
They did all sorts of charitable and religious things in the name of Christianity, only they did not seek to know the Lord through His Word. Can you understand how it is that one can faithfully show up at church every Sunday and still forsake his or her heavenly Father? You "see", if the Word of God is not taught chapter by chapter and verse by verse in their Beth-els (houses of God), their places of worship are "empty" and thus have become Beth-avens (houses of emptiness, vanity)! Here is what the LORD has to say about going to church verses seeking after Him (through His Word)!
Amos 5:4-5 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:
You want life, a quality life, and life eternal? Then seek the Lord and you shall live (eternally)!
[5] But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.
Beer-sheba means "well of seven" or even "well of covenant" for it is where Abraham made a covenant with the Philistines not to come against each other. Abraham gave Abimilech seven lambs as a witness to the transaction. Also, "Gilgal shall surely go into captivity" reads "Gilgal galoh yigleh" in Hebrew which is a Paronomasia, a figure of speech, even a play on words, where similar sounding words are repeated. In English we would say, "The Roller, rolling, shall roll away." The point is that this verse is really quite simple in that our Father is telling us that there is no salvation in any of those places, not in a church, not in setting up altars, and not in making covenants. You must seek Him! That is the ONLY way!

You can go to church (Bethel) regularly for years and years and more years and still be slaughtered with the majority in the spiritual warfare of these last days. You can set up altars all day and all night, such as at Gilgal, and you can make covenants all the way to Beer-sheba, but unless in these latter days you seek the LORD thy God through His Word, not man's, with all your heart and all your soul, your little old church isn't going to do you a bit of good on that Day when Christ returns! The sad part is that the life giving instructions to Seek Him and obey His Voice, not man's, was given to our people and recorded in His Word long, long ago! Here it is in the Book of Deuteronomy:

Deut. 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
One needs to fully understand the difference between religion and rituals, etc., and our completeness in Jesus Christ, the Word of God (Col. 2:10)!
 
Let us now return to Isaiah where our Father has much more to say about religion, the traditions of men... especially the fact that He doesn't like it one bit!
Isaiah 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
You can stop all that phony religious stuff that your preachers tell you is pleasing to God... because it isn't! "I cannot away with" means "I cannot put up with" as in I cannot stand your religious practices. IT IS INIQUITY! That's right! Man's traditions and religious practices and rituals just don't cut the mustard with our Father!
[14] Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
I am sick and tired of all your religious holidays and your assemblies! Look out across the land and you will see, it you have eyes to see, that it has become a valley of dead, dry bones (Ezek. 37)! We are a nation void of wisdom and counsel... because we have become Biblically illiterate, even though millions attend church every Sunday! Let us take the time to read a second witness to the fact that our Father hates all this form of religious worship while the vineyard is stripped bare of its fruit and His Word is ignored! Once again we turn to the 5th chapter of Amos where our Father is speaking:
Amos 5:21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. [22] Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. [23] Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
You think our Father likes to see and hear those praise and worship services while His children vote for and allow liberals and kenites to overthrow and make us captives through our allowing them to usurp and control the four hidden dynasties of Politics, Education, Economics, and Religion?

Pay real close attention to the next verse because our Father tells you what He wants... and it isn't religious ceremonies!

[24] But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
He wants truth and justice to flow like mighty rivers throughout our land. That can only happen if we know and adhere to His Word, which is truth and righteousness!
Isaiah 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
When you reach out your hands for help, I will hide mine eyes from you. He will not hear your prayers because your right hand, which is the work you do and support, causes death, spiritual death! Read again our Father's question in verse 11: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?" Come out from the traditions of men and all its "feelgoodism" and begin to seek Jesus Christ and get to know Him through His Word. You are complete in Jesus Christ, the Word of God, not in the traditions of men!
Col. 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:
Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is the only path, the only road map that will lead you to peace and happiness and eternal life! Therefore, walk ye in Him!
[7] Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Are you firmly "rooted" and "stablished" in the knowledge of His Word? If not, man and his traditions will surely lead you down the wrong path and you will wake up one day and discover that you have been walking with the false messiah, not Jesus Christ the Word of God! So BEWARE of men and their teachings, including this man, and learn to check out what you are taught with that which is written in His Word.
[8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
The law contained in ordinances, which were all the blood sacrifices, religious ceremonies, and rituals, were nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14)! Therefore it is time to "get real" and stop following after the traditions of men and begin to know Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God!
[9] For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. [10] And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:
You are complete in Him, in the Word of God, which is the supreme authority... not some church doctrine or some denomination! Here then is the instruction from your heavenly Father of what you are to do.
Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
This refers to the spiritual iniquity of following after the traditions of men. It is time to wash yourself in the pure water of the Word and become "rooted" and "stablished" in Him, i.e. build you faith upon the Rock which is your salvation, so that you cannot be shaken! Psalm 62:2 "He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved."
[17] Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Do those things that are right and pleasing to God, that are according to His Word which is His will (remember Mat. 7:21?). The next question is, "Do you know who the "fatherless" and the "widow" are?" The fatherless are the orphans of the house of Israel, the lost children of the house of Israel who have lost their way! And the "widow" is one who is without an husband, one who is no longer espoused! The apostle James, the brother of Christ, tells us about the fatherless and the widow and what it is our Father wants us to do for them!
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, sets us free, free from the traditions of men, free from the bondage of our sins, free from the penalty of death!
[26] If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
To "bridle one's tongue" is to discipline it in the Word of God! Proverbs 14:12, 16:25 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." You "see", the "way", the path, that seems right to most people is churchianity, which is a form of religious worship that is placed like the golden calves in substitute for seeking God, for studying the Word of God chapter by chapter and verse by verse to become one with Christ. The fact is however, that the end result of that "vain" (empty) worship is spiritual death (Read again Mat. 7:21)! Do you want to know what pure (clean) and undefiled religion is as defined by the Word of God? Here it is:
[27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widowsin their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
You keep yourself "unspotted" (unblemished) from the traditions of men which are of the world and not of God, and you be a "watchmen" for the lost children by visiting them with the "bridled" Word of God and show them their way back home to their Father, and espouse the husbandless, the widows, to the true Bridegroom! In other words, you discipline yourself (your tongue) with the knowledge and truth of your Father's Word and you speak to them after the manner of "Thus saith the Lord" and "It is written"... as per the instruction of the watchmen in Ezekiel chapters 2 & 3! Otherwise you betray your brothers and sisters and lead them to (spiritual) death!
 
Listen now to what your heavenly Father has to say concerning your action:
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
"Let us reason together" does not mean let's sit down and talk about it. It means "let's cut to the chase and settle the matter right here"... as in "thus saith the LORD!" I don't care how bad your sins are, I can make your garments clean and white as snow... IF ...you meet the condition in the next verse! Your Father now makes a wonderful promise... that you shall eat of the good of the land! Here is all you have to do:
Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
This does not mean that you must be willing to become a goody-goody two-shoes and start going to church every week. The condition is "Are you willing to be obedient to His Word, the supreme authority over all principalities and powers (including your preacher and your church), and cast aside the traditions of men?" That is to say, are you willing to study and listen to your Father's Word instead of the words of the unbridled tongues of preachers and teachers who like to play church. If so, He will make your sins shall be white as snow!
Rev. 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Once again, the choice is yours. You can receive His blessings or suffer the consequences that follow forsaking His Word!
Isaiah 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Yahveh has spoken! He has declared the consequences of your actions from His own mouth, which is His Word! And just as sure as you can count on the blessings if you are willing and obedient to His will, you can count on the "curses" if you forsake Him and rebel against His Word. If you choose the latter, you will thus be devoured by the sword, not just the sword of the king of Babylon, but by the very Word of God (Rev. 1:16) that shall judge you.
[21] How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.[22] Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
That precious silver and gold is now so impure it is nothing but a bunch of slag, and the wine is so diluted and watered down it cannot even be called wine!
[23] Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
Most of our spiritual leaders are backslidden from the truth and justice of His Word and have become bedfellows with the crooks and thieves! They are unjust, meaning they judge not righteously according to the Word of God, and they take bribes from the robbers of our people (kenites) as they compromise truth and justice for self gain! They prey upon the fatherless and widows and our heavenly Father does not like what they do to His children one bit! Would you?
[24] Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
Any question about who is doing the saying here? Then listen up because payday is soon coming for both the just and the unjust! Dr. Moffat translates this verse "...Ha, I will have the comfort of vengeance upon my foes." This refers to the second half of Isa. 61:2, the Day of Vengeance of our God which is the return of Yahshua Messiah at the sound of the 7th Trump! He is coming to the valley of Jehoshaphat (Yahveh Judges) and there is going to be some gourd thumping take place at that time (Joel 3).
[25] And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
That is really good news for it speaks of the time of the Millennium! However, do you know how to separate the dross (slag) and the alloys from the silver to purify it? You place the precious silver in a smelting pot and put the heat to it! You "see", fire has the unique ability to purify gold and silver, but it consumes away both hay and stubble and turns them to ashes for ever and ever!
[26] And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
This happens during the Millennium when the King of kings and Lord of lords along with His just ones, the Zadok, i.e. His elect, rule this earth with a rod of iron. And as it is written in the great Book of Ezekiel, they shall teach His people the difference between the holy and the profane, the true Christ from the false one, Satan, when he is cast to earth at the sixth trump, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean, something they cannot now do because of their lack of wisdom and knowledge of His Word.
Ezekiel 44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
When told there are two Jesus Christs, the holy and the profane, many people are surprised and taken aback! Yet the other Jesus is actually the one most preachers and ministers preach about and lead their congregations to follow after, instead of taking the time to teach them to know the true Jesus Christ through His Word! 2 Cor. 11:4 "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit [wind of doctrine], which ye have not received [checked out in the Word], or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him [might believe what he says]." The question is, "Which Jesus do you know, the holy or the profane?"
[24] And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
Thus the fulfillment of Isa. 1:26 that we just read, "And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city." When our Father says He will do a thing, you can count on it!
Isaiah 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. [28] And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
God is a consuming fire! Deut. 4:24, "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." Hebrews 12:29, "For our God is a consuming fire."
[29] For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
This is talking about the "grove worship". Do you know what that was? Check out groves in your Strong's Concordance and you will find it means "asherah" from where we get "Ishtar"... quick like a bunny! Our people love the spiritual equivalent of the grove worship and so it is that they will be naked and ashamed on that Day when the true Bridegroom comes, because then they shall awaken and discover that they have been whores and harlots and have been seduced by the false messiah! God's Word is direct and to the point! He cuts to the chase and tells it like it is! You "see", as Paul warned about in 2 Cor. 11 concerning the other Jesus, Satan when he is cast to earth at the 6th. trump and claims to be Christ, they will not remain spiritual virgins unto the coming of the Lord because they have listened to the seducing spirits (winds of doctrines) of the unbridled teachers and preachers who led them to follow after the traditions of men instead of espousing them to the Living Word of God. Got the picture yet? (Here is a link to appendix 42 in the Companion Bible concerning the "Asherah": http://www.therain.org/appendixes/app42.html)
[30] For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
If you choose to follow after the traditions of men, and thus the other Jesus, you shall become spiritually deader than a door knob... like a dead oak with no leaves and a dry parched garden. If you want "life", then seek ye Him, not Bethel/church, and you shall have it.
[31] And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
Your so-called "strong" spiritual leaders shall be as tow, which is fuel for the fire, and their workmanship shall be the spark that ignites the stubble. They are all going to burn together and all their works along with them, and no one can prevent it from happening! Do know why? Because the Lord has spoken it! That's why! So stay focused in your Father's Word and be willing and obedient to Him. Walk in His way and as it is written, "ye shall eat the good of the land (Isa. 1:19)!"
 
In chapter 2 we are going get a real good look at what happens when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns to this earth and we shall see what our Father says is going to happen to Judah and Jerusalem in the last days!

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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