The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 66 Discussion

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Isa 16:8-14 Moab Shall Come To His Sanctuary To Pray; But He Shall Not Prevail

Isa 16:8  For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.
Isa 16:9  Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.
Isa 16:10  And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.
Isa 16:11  Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.
Isa 16:12  And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.
Isa 16:13  This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.
Isa 16:14  But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

Today we will see that Moab, as a type of our own flesh, is intricately connected with the two beasts of Revelation 13. After establishing the connection between Moab as the Biblical type of the flesh of our old man and the beast of Revelation, presented to us in two stages, we will then see that the second stage of the beast of Revelation 13 is nothing other than the self-righteous harlot of Revelation 17-18, all of whom are given their throne and their great authority over us by the great red dragon.

The verses we will discuss in today's study describe the destruction of Moab, the Old Testament type of our own beastly flesh, which was "made to be taken and destroyed":

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

In Revelation 13 we are confronted with what appears to be two beasts, which really are two stages of the same one beast. The first beast arises out of the sea, while the second beast arises out of the earth with two horns like a lamb, but speaking as a dragon.

That these are merely two stages of the same beast is made clear from these words:

Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Rev 13:16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man [Greek: G444, 'anthropos' - mankind]; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

"Two horns like a lamb" tells us this second beast within us masquerades as a religious God-fearing man, but when he opens his mouth, he speaks all the false lying doctrines of the great red dragon whom we were told earlier in this same chapter empowered the first beast:

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

That explains why our second beast insists that we give life to the image of the first beast and worship that image. We are told that in doing so we are actually worshiping the great red dragon himself:

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

While it is true that you and I of ourselves cannot "make war with... the beast", it is equally true that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, and that Christ in us can and will destroy this self-righteous beast with two horns like a Lamb who speaks as a dragon:

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

When Christ within us makes war with this inward beast, this is what He does:

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

This all sounds like a "road to Damascus" experience which takes place within a few hours or days and is all over. Nothing could be further from the Truth. Even Saul of Tarsus, who was blinded by "the brightness of His coming", later had to spend time in the wilderness of Arabia before he could begin his ministry, and even after that judgment remained on the house of God within as Saul of Tarsus had despised and consented to the deaths of the Christ of Christ, and the sword of the Word of God never departed from Saul's house:

2Sa 12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Act 26:10  Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them

The sword of the Lord's Word judging us every day is not a bad thing. Judgment in this age is the greatest honor that can be bestowed on any man. That is why we are made to know:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

We are all guilty of despising Christ and His doctrines and taking the great harlot, the seed of the serpent, his 'wife', to be our wife, and our old man and his kingdom is doomed to the destruction He was made to endure:

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

With all of this background on whom and what is our beastly flesh, let's read about what we all just naturally do when the destruction of our old man and his kingdom begins with the brightness of the coming of Christ into our lives:

Isa 16:8  For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.
Isa 16:9  Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.
Isa 16:10  And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.

Verse ten sums up the emotions of our old man when his judgment is now begun and is finally in progress. Gladness and joy are taken away and "out of the fruitful field..." there is no singing or shouting in the vineyards because there is no wine being tread out. God has "made their vintage shouting to cease."

Now compare this message to Moab, the Old Testament type of the kingdom of our old man, to what we are told the Lord is doing to the great harlot who was the source of worldly riches to "as many who trade by sea".

Rev 18:15  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Rev 18:19  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Rev 18:20  Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Rev 18:21  And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Rev 18:22  And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Rev 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Compare Rev 18:22-23 with these verses of our study today:

Isa 16:9  Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.
Isa 16:10  And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.

The reason there is no joy in either Moab or Babylon the Great is that both are one and the same kingdom of our old man. Moab is just an earlier type of the beast within us who has rejected his own Maker and is now worshiping and serving the creature himself, rather than the Creator.

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Do not be blinded by the plural, "they knew God, they glorified Him not as God..." Always remember that it is "mankind", the Greek word 'anthropos', who must live by every Word of God. Do not let the tense of a verb or the plural of a noun or pronoun keep you from remembering that it is each of us who must "live by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Mat 4:4). It is each of us who has received the deadly wound by the two-edged sword of the Word of God, and it is each of us who has experienced the healing of that wound only to go back to being a healthy God denying, self-righteous, rebellious brute beast.

Neither should we let the gender of the great harlot keep us from seeing that this great harlot is merely another manifestation of "the man of sin" of 2Th 2:3 and another manifestation of the second beast, who demands that we worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed, and whom we are clearly told 'had two horns like a lamb, but he spake as a dragon':

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

As our judgment begins and our "man of sin" begins to "be revealed", we are brought to our wits' end in time, and the mental and physical and spiritual pain of the process of being judged and being brought to see ourselves for what brute beasts we are is so painful that we are told we will "seek death, and it will flee from [us]. Let's read about this in the very words we are admonished to "read... hear... and keep" (Rev 1:3):

Rev 9:1  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5  And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6  And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

That is the message we are given concerning Moab within us:

Isa 16:11  Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.
Isa 16:12  And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.
Isa 16:13  This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.

When Christ first began to come into my life, I still 'went into my sanctuary to pray, but I did not prevail', and the next day I would discover that another of my own 'idols of [my] heart' had to be destroyed. That is what is being said here in spiritual, internal terms.

We are watching this play out in outward terms as our nation becomes more divided by the day as the "free moral agent, Christian" harlot struggles to maintain her outward 'spiritually uncircumcised, son of the bondwoman kingdom' against the immoral beast which hates her and is eating her flesh and burning her with fire. That is what is taking place this very moment outwardly in our daily news reports.

The 'he shall not prevail' of verse 12 here in Isaiah 16 is the same as what happens to the great harlot of these verses:

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

To which "words of God" does verse 17 refer? Where else in scripture are we told this same story concerning a harlot? Here is where we see this same message concerning the Lord's own people who have put the desire to serve their flesh above their desire to please their true Husband:

Isa 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.
Isa 1:2  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.
Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 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.

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Isa 1:27  Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
Isa 1:28  And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

How will "Zion [the "harlot"] be redeemed with judgment"? What will the Lord use to "eat her flesh and burn her with fire"? What do all of these symbols mean outwardly? This is what these symbols all mean, and this is what we are witnessing within our own borders, between the nations of this earth, and within the borders of all the nations of this earth, and this is what the Lord is doing "after the counsel of His OWN will" (Eph 1:11):

Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Isa 19:2  And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

The scriptures from Genesis to Revelation are all about all of  mankind being "redeemed with judgment". It is an experience of evil which the Lord has given the sons of men to humble them by it:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens:it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

The only way to "explore by wisdom" any subject concerning the fate of mankind is to know what has proceeded out of the mouth of God.  When you are given eyes that see and ears that hear, you will discover that God has given mankind an experience of evil to humble him and destroy that brute beast which sits in the temple of God claiming to be God.

In other words, 'the proud heart of Moab will be humbled' as these things all come to pass, and our bowels will attempt to comfort and sooth the spirit of the kingdom of our old man within us.

Isa 16:11  Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.

The Hebrew word for 'harp' here is the same word translated 'harp' where David played the harp to sooth the spirit of King Saul, who typifies the rejected anointed kingdom of our old man within us. While being judged we just naturally "come to [our] sanctuary to pray" and to seek comfort, not realizing at first that our 'comforter' is the very person who will replace the kingdom of our old man:

1Sa 16:23  And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

King Saul was momentarily refreshed, "but he [did] not prevail" (Isa 16:12). Our 'bowels' represent that which is within our innermost being. These verses will help us to better understand what is taking place in the proud heart of Moab within us at this time in our "experience of evil" (Ecc 1:13) which the Lord has given us to humble that proud heart of Moab within us (Isa 16:6).

Jer 4:19  My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

Lam 1:20  Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

It is important that we come to understand that the "new man" is in no way connected with our old man, except as the "corn of wheat" which must die to bring forth life (Joh 12:24), and yet the phrase "a remnant" is used to describe the new man who rises up out of the death and destruction of that old man.

These are Christ's words describing how He is dealing with what He calls His remnant:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Joh 12:26  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

So it is with Moab. Moab is destroyed. He falls into the ground and dies, but a small remnant, like the "slain Lamb", will be used to redeem the multitudes who will, at the Lord's appointed time, be brought to Him (Rev 5:5-6).

Isa 16:14  But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

The number 'three' in scripture always denotes the completing of the process of being judged, so we are told the judgment of Moab will be accomplished "within three years".

Here is the link to the study on the number three:  http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers-in-scripture-three-the-process-of-spiritual-completion/

Mourning the destruction of the kingdom of Moab is not telling us that the Lord said something in a fit of anger and is now wishing He had not spoken these words. Not at all! Every Word of God is perfect and pure, and the scriptures cannot be broken:

Psa 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Psa 89:34  My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

Joh 10:35  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken

The fact is that all His judgments were all 'scripture [which] cannot be broken... written in His book' for each of us and for every nation "before the world began":

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Pro 16:5  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

When "the Lord has spoken" you can take what He has said to the bank. When He tells us that Moab's 'glory and his proud spirit will be punished and judged and destroyed and replaced by a faithful "remnant", He will not break His Word. "Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to [Him]: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished." It will be "through [our] death" and through our own destruction that our new man will be born into the kingdom of God within us, and death will have not one single victory. As long as one single person is not resurrected to "life... more abundantly", death can still claim a victory, but:

Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [Isa 25:8]
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will begin to learn how the judgment of Syria, another Biblical symbol of our own flesh, symbolizes the judgment of the kingdom of our old man:

Here are the verses which will begin this study:

Isa 17:1  The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Isa 17:2  The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
Isa 17:3  The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.
Isa 17:4  And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.
Isa 17:5  And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
Isa 17:6  Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.
Isa 17:7  At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.