Isaiah

Isaiah Chapter 65

• Isaiah 65:1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.

This to me clearly shows the gospel going out to the gentile or heathen nations. Nations who knew not God in any way began to seek Him after the coming of Jesus Christ when Christ was preached to them.

• Isaiah 65:2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

Israel became a nation that knew God but rebelled against him forsaking the Law of God given to them by Moses and rejecting Jesus Christ. Through their rejection of the gospel, the gospel was then preached to the Gentile nations, some of whom received Jesus. In the latter days it will reverse as Gentile nations fall away and the Jews discover their Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah their ancestors rejected. This means of course as a nation. Individual Jews received Christ. All the apostles were Jews as well as other Jewish followers. Individual Gentiles will be following Christ also showing us that believing and following Jesus is an individual salvation, one on one. Yes we know, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." We become children of God one on one but whole nations can be saved at the same time. 

• Isaiah 65:3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
• 65:4  Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

Many of them sacrificed to other gods and desired to mimic other nations in their worship.

A faithful Jew or Israelite would not east the flesh of swine. It was forbidden in the Law of God.  Seems like the worship they were following were among graves and tombs. Perhaps they were trying to commune with the dead or something along those lines which also is forbidden in the law of God.

• Isaiah 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

A holier than thou attitude is never true righteousness. These described here not only forsook God and followed after the idols of other nations, they also considered themselves holy for doing so and holier than everybody else. Holier than thou attitudes cause one to think they are spiritually superior to other people by their religious works or rituals. Our desire should be to win the lost to Jesus not exalt ourselves above them.

• Isaiah 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
• 7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

Turning from God to other things, idols or desires always results in "reaping what we sow." There will be nothing to profit or gain from departing from the Lord. Temporary gain will eventually be lost.

• Isaiah 65:8 Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
• 9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

The Jewish people are God's elect chosen to bring to the world the Son of God or Messiah that was to save the lost and restore all who believe both Jew and Gentile back to God. All people were separated from God since the fall of Adam because of sin. Although the gospel was given to the Jewish people first, only a few received Him at the time Christ walked the earth and Israel as a nation was temporarily cut off because of unbelief. Through their unbelief salvation has been given to the Gentiles. The Jewish nation is not forgotten though. The moment they believe and receive Christ they will be grafted back into their own original vine. Gentile believers are like wild olive trees grafted into the original vine.

• Isaiah 65:10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

Sharon seems to represent a quiet peaceful place for people who seek God.

• Isaiah 65:11 But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
• 12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.

This shows very serious judgment against those that refused to listen when the Lord called but instead did evil before his eyes. In 70 AD the whole nation was destroyed partially fulfilling the prophecy concerning Israel. However, they will be restored as a nation in the latter days. That also is partially fulfilled beginning in 1948. The reason the world hates them so much is because bible prophecy can't be fulfilled until they were back in their land. The old devil doesn't want the return of Christ or the return of Israel back to God. Anyone who tries to prevent Israel as a nation from existing is really fighting against God. The whole future tribulation period will be to bring Israel back to her rightful place in God.

• Isaiah 65:13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:
• 14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

It shows the Lord does make a difference between those that serve the Lord and those that do not.

• Isaiah 65:15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:

Some think that this verse refers to the Lord forsaking the Jews and choosing another nation. However, bible prophecy proves that to be false. Yes, they were temporarily cut off because of unbelief and God did raise up others. The others are true followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

This does not mean everyone who claims himself to be a Christian but those that love and follow Jesus Christ. They do not take place of the Jews but add to them. A remnant of Jewish people will be saved. That nation will one day accept their true Messiah.

Any of us can be cut off and God will raise up others to take our place too. We should not be high-minded but fear. The church is called to bring the gospel of salvation to the whole world. It was never called to take over governments and establish a forced religion called Christendom or Christianity. No, that hindered the message of the gospel when they did that. How can one force regeneration from inside the innermost being? How can one be forced to believe and receive Christ? How can one be forced to be "born again by the spirit of God"? It is impossible to force true religion. Only false religions use force.

Romans 11

• 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
• 14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
• 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
• 16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
• 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
• 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
• 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
• 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
• 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
• 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
• 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
• 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
• 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
• 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
• 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
• 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

These words of the Apostle Paul should put away from our mind forever that the Jewish people are permanently cut off from God.

• Isaiah 65:16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
• 17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

What a beautiful thought. A new heaven and a new earth. Glory to God. All this violence, sin, abortion, murder, sexual immorality, filth, pornography and other things that grieve our souls shall destroyed forever.

• Isaiah 65:18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
• 19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

No more sorrow, pain, death, crying and tears. All will be rejoicing. If you don't like places where there will be singing and shouting and praising God, then heaven will not be where you want to be. He deserves all our praise and adoration. He will make all things new and fresh without sin and oppression.

• Isaiah 65:20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

A person one hundred years old will seem like an infant. If a person is a hundred years old and has not received Christ or is still in sin, they will be accursed.

• Isaiah 65:21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
• 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
• 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

No more shall people work and plant only that someone else will steal it and take it away.

• 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
• 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

Those that serve the Lord have his protection and blessing. He will answer their prayers before they pray. This is the time when Jesus Christ will return literally and set up His eternal kingdom that will not pass away. Nothing shall stop this. Get used to it. Things are going to change. There will be peace on earth and in heaven. God is going to rule.

Isaiah Index

Isaiah 66