Isa 66:15-19 By Fire and by His Sword Will the Lord Plead with All Flesh

[Study Aired November 1, 2020]

Isa 66:15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
Isa 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
Isa 66:17  They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:18  For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
Isa 66:19  And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

Our last study ended with the Lord informing us that “when… [we] shall be comforted in Jerusalem… our heart shall rejoice… and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward His servants, and His indignation toward His enemies.

Isa 66:13  As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Isa 66:14  And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.

Knowing ‘the hand of the Lord’ is to know and believe that His Words are sure:

Num 11:23  And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

Ecc 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

Luk 4:32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Our study today begins with the work of the Lord’s “right hand… by the Word of His power:

Isa 66:15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
Isa 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.

These last verses of Isaiah transition back from the subject of comfort to informing us of how the Lord is dealing with our flesh which was “made to be taken and destroyed”:

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;

“Know[ing] the hand of the Lord toward His servants” (Isa 66:14) is speaking of the faith of His servants in His Word. The Lord’s enemies are always those who withstand Him and His doctrines. The rebellious carnal mind in each of us has ‘spoken evil of the things we did not understand.’ To “know… the hand of the Lord” is to experience its fiery work in purifying our inward heavens. The sword with which “the Lord… will… plead with all flesh”, including first and primarily with the flesh of His elect, is His Word:

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Having the understanding and knowledge required to “know the hand of the Lord toward His servants, and [to know] His indignation toward His enemies” will be the focus of our study today. The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven is given only to those who are being dragged to the Lord by His fiery words:

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

“The hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies” is reiterated “line upon line and precept upon precept upon precept” in:

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The “book of remembrance” is just another name for “the Lamb’s book of life”:

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

As the overcomers of “this present time” (Rom 8:18) produce seed to the Lord, our children will become our family and will through our mercy (Rom 11:30-31) enter into the New Jerusalem.

Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Act 8:33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

That ‘mercy’ will not be shown to them until after the great white throne judgment begins. ‘Jerusalem’ in Isaiah 66 is speaking specifically of “Jerusalem above, the mother of us all”, and it is “Jerusalem above” which is “the apple of [the Lord’s] eye”. It is certainly not “the son of the bondwoman… Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children.”

Here in Malachi “Jerusalem above” is called “My jewels… [My] own son”. In Isaiah 66:14 we are told that ‘when we are comforted by Jerusalem [above] then the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.’ “Knowing… the hand of the Lord toward His servants [contrasted with] His indignation toward His enemies” is expressed here in Malachi as the spiritual ability to “discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and Him that serves Him not.” Such discernment comes only through being spiritually matured through “having [our spiritual] senses exercised to discern good and evil,” to “know [what is] the spirit of Truth and [what is] the spirit of error” (1Jo 4:6).

Such critical discernment is not left to individual preferences. Doctrinal differences from time to time are inevitable. The Lord uses our hunger for more of Christ and His Truth to let the adversary tempt us into believing a lie and thinking above what is written. When that happens, our pride identifies with our thoughts which are “above that which is written”. At that point “the pride of life” and the tribulation of being humiliated before men causes us to “believe a lie” and believe the idols of our own hearts. This is an essential and integral part of “the hand of the LORD be[ing made] known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.”

Paul tells us we must live out this experience:

1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Look at this verse again with its Strong’s numbers:

1Co 11:19  For^G1063 there must^G1163 be^G1511 also^G2532 heresies^G139 among^G1722 you,^G5213 that^G2443 they which are approved^G1384 may be made^G1096 manifest^G5318 among^G1722 you.^G5213

Notice that four English words are used: “they which are approved”, to translate the one Greek word ‘dokimos’ G1384. This word appears seven times in the New Testament. Two examples will demonstrate that the English word ‘approved’ is indeed a proper translation:

Rom 16:10  Salute Apelles approved [G1384: ‘dokimos’] in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved [G1384: ‘dokimos’] unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

I was surprised to find that this is also the Greek word found in a verse we all quote quite frequently:

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried [G1384: ‘dokimos’, approved], he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Knowing that four English words were used for the single Greek word ‘dokimos’, and knowing that ‘dokimos’ is translated as ‘tried’ in James 1:12,  and knowing that ‘dokimos’ means ‘approved’ is all very interesting, and it helps us to more fully understand what the Lord is telling us. However, it does not change the fact that heresies reveal heretics and the fact that seeing what is a heresy also contrasts that heresy with what is the Truth.

Let’s read this placing the emphasis on the heresy and see if it changes anything:

1Co 11:18  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that [that] which [is] approved may be made manifest among you.

The emphasis is taken from the heretic and placed upon the heresy. Either way we translate verse 19, an unrepentant heretic is revealed if he refuses to humble himself and to be persuaded by the consensus of the multitude of the counsel of our leaders by whom we are commanded to be persuaded.

If we are granted the humility to “tremble at… every… word of God” then we can, and we will, fear and tremble to fail to obey these words:

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is [physical and spiritual] safety.

Pro 15:22  Without counsel [physical and spiritual] purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy [physical and spiritual] war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders [the consensus of your elders], and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.

Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The word “leaders” is in the plural because the apostles demonstrated by their example that the way they kept “the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace [was and is to] defer to [the counsel of our] leaders.” That is what they did concerning the question of whether the Gentiles were commanded to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in Acts 15. Such a humble spirit is in accord with this spirit:

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Such doctrinal questions are to be settled by the consensus of “your leaders” who are mature enough, experienced, and knowledgeable enough to know how to “try the spirits [to see] whether they are of God”:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

A false prophet is a false prophet because he is bringing false doctrines into the church of God, which is the Lord’s house. “Believe not every spirit [doctrine] but try the spirits [doctrines] whether they are of God: because many false prophet are gone out into the world”.

The Lord Himself warns us of this experience in these words:

Joh 10:1  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door [The Truth of Christ and His doctrines] into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2  But he that entereth in by the door [knows and teaches The Truth] is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3  To him the porter [the holy spirit] openeth; and the sheep hear his voice [Mat 16:17]: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

The only way “the sheep hear His voice” is if the holy spirit of the Father has “given [us] ears that hear”. What we are being told is that those who are the true “Jerusalem above” will know which doctrines agree with the ‘voice’ of the Shepherd and which doctrines are the ‘voice’ of a stranger who does not know and cannot hear the ‘voice’ of the true Shepherd. Knowing what is the voice of the true Shepherd is itself extremely comforting, because that means we have already experienced His fiery wrath upon all the lies of “the voice of a stranger”, and we have “through much tribulation… dying daily… presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, and being crucified with Christ’ and we have now come to “know His voice” and will not follow a stranger.

Which leaders are to persuade us if our leaders are themselves divided? The holy spirit knew this question would arise and has given us two examples of what we are to do when that happens. That is exactly what happened in the reign of Rehoboam and in Acts 15.

In the case of Rehoboam, the lesson we learn is that we are to listen to the older counselors:

1Ki 12:6  And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
1Ki 12:7  And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
1Ki 12:8  But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:

This happened to Rehoboam, and it is written for our admonition (1Co 10:11). Following the counsel of the younger counselors led to the disastrous breaking up of the kingdom. The older counselors had given good counsel, but it was ignored by King Rehoboam.

Acts 15 deals with a doctrinal matter which arose within the church. Peter, Paul and Barnabas believed that being physically circumcised and keeping the sacrifices and holy days was all fulfilled in Christ and that now the Lord “Puts no difference between [the Jews] and [the Gentiles].

These are Peter’s words before all the apostles and elders in Jerusalem:

Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Act 15:10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

The apostle “James the brother of John” had been killed by Herod by this time:

Act 12:2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

Peter was speaking for Paul and Barnabas. The twelve, minus James who had been martyred by Herod, and Peter who was agreeing with Paul and Barnabas, means there were ten apostles who believed that the Jews were still required to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses:

Act 21:17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
Act 21:18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law [of Moses]:
Act 21:21  And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22  What is it therefore? The multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Notice what the multitude did while the apostles were in the process of discussing this question of who was required to keep the law of Moses:

Act 15:12  Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
Act 15:13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

The multitude of the church were not involved in the discussions of the apostles and the elders. This is all being said “after there had been much disputing” among “the apostles and the elders”:

Act 15:6  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Act 15:7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

Notice that the ten apostles, while agreeing with Peter, Paul, and Barnabas that the Gentiles need not be circumcised and that the Gentiles did not need to keep the law of Moses, most certainly did not agree that the Jews need not do so:

Act 15:13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
Act 15:14  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
Act 15:15  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
Act 15:16  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
Act 15:17  That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Act 15:18  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Act 15:19  Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not [with the law of Moses] them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Act 15:20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

“Moses… being read in the synagogue every sabbath day” to the ten apostles was a very positive thing for the Jewish believers. Therefore, James concludes that a letter must be sent to the Gentiles to let them know that only the Jews are required to keep the law of Moses.

Act 15:22  Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
Act 15:23  And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Act 15:24  Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
Act 15:25  It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
Act 15:26  Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 15:27  We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Act 15:29  That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

What now were Peter, Paul and Barnabas to do? Ten apostles agreed the Jews must still be circumcised, keep the weekly sabbath and all the annual holy days, eat only clean meats, and even continue to offer sacrifices at the temple. Should Peter, Paul and Barnabas say, “I do not care about ‘consensus’. I am right and you are wrong.” As we all know, that would have split the church just as it was beginning to grow in numbers. No, such a spirit would have to ignore the example of Rehoboam placing the counsel of the younger above the counsel of the elders, and they would have had to ignore the consensus of a multitude of counselors.

The Truth is that it was simply not yet God’s own appointed time for the ten apostles to see the truth of Peter’s words acknowledging that there is no difference between a Jew and a Gentile in Christ. For the time:

Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

For the Jews it was not so because:

Act 15:21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

This is all reiterated in Acts 21 where we learn that all this time the ten apostles who had never left Jerusalem were still offering physical blood sacrifices as if Christ’s sacrifice was not quite enough to forgive our sins:

Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Having experienced the Lord’s wrath, knowing we are no more under the wrath of the law, we are now in a position to be used by the Lord to pour out that same fiery wrath of the Truth of His Words upon our adversaries, within ourselves and within His body.

Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

It is not yet time to take revenge on the outward kingdoms of this world, but if we are faithful and patient that day will come:

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of [spiritual… doctrinal] strong holds;)
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

The Lord is not far off anywhere. He is right here, right now “working all things after the counsel of His own will”:

Deu 30:11  For this command which I am commanding you today is not too wonderful for you, nor is it too far off.
Deu 30:12  It is not in the heavens that you should say, Who shall go up into the heavens for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, that we may do it?
Deu 30:13  And it is not beyond the sea that you should say, Who shall cross over for us to the region beyond the sea and take it for us, and cause us to hear it, that we may do it?
Deu 30:14  For the Word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Notice how the holy spirit has Paul to understand these words:

Rom 10:6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above: )
Rom 10:7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word [Christ] is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Christ really is alive and well living within His elect, and at the appointed time, after we have been “through much tribulation [then] He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Christ has subdued the rebellious kingdoms within us, and we have “endured… fiery trials… to the end”… then “the kingdoms of this world “are [and will] become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.”

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

“The kingdoms of this world… becoming the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ” is in down payment form ‘being brought to our desired haven’ of:

Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Psalms 107, as we will see, agrees with the revelation of Jesus Christ in telling us that “great tribulation” must  precede the joy and peace that comes to us when we are comforted in Jerusalem above, comforted by the Lord through His body.

The work of “the seventh angel” is “the great and marvelous… seven last plagues”:

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

If we are granted by the Lord to accept and endure the seven last plagues of His wrath as a “great and marvelous… sign… [in our] heavens” then we will be comforted by ‘Jerusalem above’ and we will rejoice in knowing that it is all “the hand of the Lord… toward His servants” separating our new man from our old man who is His enemy to whom His indignation is directed:

Isa 66:13  As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Isa 66:14  And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.

Inwardly, these verses are the seven last plagues doing their marvelous work within us. Outwardly, they will be fulfilled when the Lord makes manifest the sons of God at the very beginning of His kingdom over the kingdoms of this world, and dispensationally these words will have their final fulfillment in the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death:

Isa 66:15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
Isa 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.

These words and the following verses are not in the future tense. Hebrew has a future tense, but that is not the tense conveyed to us by the holy spirit. This is all in the Qal stem which conveys the is, was and will be nature of what is being said. The emphasis must always primarily be on the ‘is’ application of His words or there will be no personal application. Our natural inclination is to place the Lord’s words off into the future and into some distant place away from ourselves.

However, these words apply primarily and first to me and to you:

Isa 66:17  They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:18  For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

“Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse” are imbibing of all the false doctrines of Babylon. “All nations and tongues” include first and primarily the Lord’s elect who are all dragged out of ‘Babylon’ by the fiery trials of the seven last plagues as we are plainly told in:

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come [1Pe 4:17]: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

1Pe 4:17  For the time [“the hour of His judgment”] 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?

While the whole world is teaching that the seven last plagues are to be experienced only by those who are destined to be cast into the lake of fire, and are to be avoided by the Lord’s elect, this is what the Lord’s elect and His own words teach us about this “marvelous work”. This is the Truth about who must endure the wrath of the Lord:

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

That is what makes these seven plagues such a marvelous work! It applies to all men of all time:

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

The judgment of the religions of this world must first take place within us. Then at the appointed time, following the thousand-year reign, they will in time include the masses of Babylon who are not granted repentance in this age:

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon [the religions of this world] came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

There is one doctrine upon which all religions agree and thereby placing the beast, the man of sin, upon the throne in the hearts of all men. That doctrine is the false doctrine of mankind having a free will. That spirit will be judged and that “wicked one” who promotes that lie, is being destroyed within us “in this present time” and will be destroyed in “all in Adam” only by the coming  of Christ into our hearts to dethrone and “destroy” that beast which is residing within every one of us at first:

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:

It is the Truth of the Lord’s words which constitute and precipitate this “great earthquake, such as was not since [I] have been upon the earth”, which begins to destroy the man of sin who has ruthlessly ruled over my entire life before the coming of Christ within me. It is my old man who is this ‘earth’ which is being shaken so violently that nothing is left standing before the Lord.

“The spirit of His mouth, and… the brightness of His coming” are one and the same thing. They are both the fiery truths of the fiery Word of God:

Jer 5:11  For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD.
Jer 5:12  They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
Jer 5:13  And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

This statement, “I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them” is expressed again is this way:

Rev 16:20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

This is the function of this “great hail[storm]”:

Isa 28:15  Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
Isa 28:18  And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

It is through the words of those who have endured all these fiery judgments ahead of us that we have endured these fiery trials, this great earthquake and this great hailstorm, and it will be through our words that others will come to the Lord. That is what is being said in our last verse of our study today:

Isa 66:19  And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

We are those who are being ‘comforted by Jerusalem above, the mother of us all. Lord willing we are the body of Christ which builds itself up in love’, we are those by whom the Lord’s glory will be “declared among the Gentiles”, and it will be through us “and [our] seed]” that those who have never known our Lord will hear of His glory.

Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

That is our study for today. Here are the verses for our next study:

Isa 66:20  And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
Isa 66:21  And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:22  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
Isa 66:23  And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:24  And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.