The Prophecy of Isaiah – Isaiah 4:1-3 “We Will Eat Our Own Bread”
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The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 18 Discussion
Isa 4:1-3 In That Day Seven Women Shall Say We Will Eat Our Own Bread and Wear Our Own Apparel
Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Isa 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
"In that day" seven women will take hold of one man wanting to provide their own bread and clothe themselves in their own apparel, but they want to claim Christ's name to take away their reproach. But these "seven women" are immediately contrasted "in that day" with "the branch of the Lord", which is called "the fruit of the earth... excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel."
As we have learned earlier in these studies here in the book of Isaiah, the phrase "that day", unless otherwise qualified, refers to "the day of the Lord". We are told "the day of the Lord" is the day of His judgment upon the kingdom of our old man in its inward application, and it is God's judgment upon the nations of this world in its outward dispensational application. The number of times "the day of the Lord" is mentioned in the scriptures indicates just how central to scriptures this "day of the Lord" is. It also tells us just how expedient to the understanding of God's elect is "the day of the Lord".
But the words "And in that day" here in Isaiah 4:1 also serve to connect what is being said here to what was being said in the previous chapter. Chapter three, as we saw, tells us of all the things that must be taken away from us before we can enter into the temple and into the presence of the Lord.
Here is what chapter three told us had to be taken away and burned up before we can enter into the Lord's presence:
Isa 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
Isa 3:19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
Isa 3:20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
Isa 3:21 The rings, and nose jewels,
Isa 3:22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
Isa 3:23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
Isa 3:24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
Isa 3:25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Isa 3:26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
"The day of the Lord" is that part of our lives when the Lord begins to show us that there are many things in our lives which we must relinquish and eliminate from within our hearts and minds. Our old man has a godless, hate-filled carnal mind, and that mind must be burned out of us on a daily basis from the time of the commencement of that work until the day we die. The judgment which is now upon the house of God does not stop judging any sins within our lives until we draw our last physical breath:
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
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?1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
If we do not consider ourselves to be "the house of God", if we deny that we are the house of God, then none of this has any personal application. On the other hand, if we know that we are "the house of God" then we know that it is we who must be the first to be judged and to "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Mat 4:4), including all the words concerning "that day... the day of the Lord".
I remember about 20 years ago when I read those verses of 1 Peter and for the first time in my life having the eyes of my understanding enlightened (Eph 1:18) to understand what I was reading. I had been taught that sometime in the future there was coming a day of judgment and that we would all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and that very few people would avoid being cast into the lake of fire. Now my eyes were opened to see those words "the time is come that [the fiery trials of] judgment must begin at the house of God". I was finally given to know that for those who are Christ, who are 'the Lord's Christ', we are being judged at this very moment, and it is we who are having His wrath poured out upon the kingdom of our old man now, in this age. The day of judgment is called "the day of wrath" many times in scripture:
Job 21:30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
Pro 11:4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Eze 7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
Zep 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Zep 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you.
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
There it is in Romans 2:5, "the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God", which makes it clear that the day of wrath and the day of judgment are one and the same, and that it is we who must first endure the wrath of God upon the kingdom of our old man, just as God's judgment and His wrath against Job's self-righteous, God-condemning spirit preceded the judgment of Job's "miserable comforters" (Job 40:1-8). That is why we are called "the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb":
Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Rev 14:4 These [144,000] are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
It is "the great day of His wrath" which, in His time, will manifest who are these "firstfruits unto God and the Lamb":
Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
"The great day of His wrath is come" with the opening of the seals of the revelation of Jesus Christ, including the seventh seal:
Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
This "seventh seal" is the sounding of the "seven trumpets", and the seven trumpets parallel and culminate in the seventh trumpet which is the seven vials (bowls) which "fill up the wrath of God" and which must be fulfilled in our lives before any man can "enter into the temple of God in heaven":
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.
"That day"
The day of judgment, the day of the Lord, the day of destruction, and the day of the Lord's wrath are one and all the same day. They are the day which is so often mentioned that they are all referred to simply as "that day". We have already seen this phrase, 'that day', referring to "the day of the Lord... the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God" three times in Isaiah chapter two:
Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
Here are several more verses which add to what we can expect at that time. They also demonstrate that the phrase "that day" refers to "the day of the the Lord":
Isa 27:1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea [in the flesh of all mankind Rev 13:1].
Isa 27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown [Rev 8:1-2], and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria [Psa 107:27], and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. ["The Israel of God" - Gal 6:16 (GWB)]
Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. [Mat 13:1-15; Joh 9:39-41]
Isa 31:7 For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. [Eze 16:17)
Jer 4:9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. [Jer 48:41 and Luk 21:26]
Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it [1Co 3:15].
Now let's see what we can learn from the verses which contain the phrase:
"The day of the Lord"
I have broken this down by the books in which the phrase "the day of the Lord" appears, and it first appears here in the book we are studying. And it happens that the first verse where the phrase "the day of the Lord" appears is in the verse immediately after the first entry for the phrase "that day" and "that day" is referring specifically to "the day of the Lord". I want to draw our attention to how frequently, even thousands of years ago, when speaking of "the day of the Lord" we are told, "the day of the Lord is at hand". I have underlined every time we see those words:
Isaiah
Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:Isa 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. [Mat 24:32-34; Rev 1:3]
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Isa 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Jeremiah
Jer 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. [Rev 6:9-11]
Lamentations
Lam 2:22 Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD'S anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed. [Jer 11:11; Rev 15:8]
Ezekiel
Eze 13:5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
Eze 30:3 For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. [Mat 24:32-34; Rev1:3]
Joel
Joe 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. [Mat 24:32-34; Rev 1:3]
Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; [Mat 24:32-34; Rev 1:3]
Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? [Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.]
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. [Mat 24:32-34; Rev 1:3]
Amos
Amo 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. [Isa 26:9]
Amo 5:20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? [Isa 26:9]
Obadiah
Oba 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee [Edom - Babylon]: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. [Mat 24:32-34; Rev 1:3; Gal 6:7]
Zephaniah
Zep 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. [Mat 24:32-34; Rev 1:3]
Zep 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. [Rev 3:17-18]Zep 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. [Mat 24:32-34; Rev 1:3]
Zep 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Zep 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you.
Zep 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
1 Corinthians
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2 Corinthians
2Co 1:14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1 Thessalonians
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
2 Peter
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
This is what we now know about "the day of the Lord:
"The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night... the elements shall melt with fervent heat... the destruction of the flesh... thy spoil shall be divided... the day of the Lord's wrath... the day of the Lord's anger... the day of the Lord's sacrifice... the day of the Lord is darkness and not light... the day of the Lord is great and terrible, who can abide it... As destruction from the Almighty it shall come... the time of the heathen... make up the hedge... stand in the day of battle... my terrors round about... the day of the Lord's vengeance, [and a much repeated phrase is:] the day of the Lord is at hand".
That is how the Lord is at this very moment purging the rebels and burning out everything within us which must be "taken away" from within His temple, His house.
Isa 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
Isa 3:19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
Isa 3:20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
Isa 3:21 The rings, and nose jewels,
Isa 3:22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
Isa 3:23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
Isa 3:24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
Isa 3:25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Isa 3:26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
All these things which must be taken out of the Lord's temple are either different kinds of jewelry or different pieces of clothing. The jewels of silver and gold, typify the Lord's words which we twisted and wrested and have placed upon our false doctrines. Our clothing is the righteousness of saints, and in this case it is the unrighteousness of our sins.
The pronouns 'her', in "her gates", and 'she', in "she being desolate", are referring to the "seven women" of the very next verse of scripture:
Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
These "seven women" are the same as the "seven churches" [Rev 1:4 and 20]. The number 'seven' in scripture always signifies the completeness of the subject under consideration. In this case it is the complete church, which has become a harlot, by giving herself and her precious jewels to her lovers. 'Women' in scripture signify the church, whether faithful or promiscuous [Eph 5:22-33 and 2Co 11:2]. The number 'seven' signifies the complete church. The 'bread' these women want to eat signifies their own false doctrines, and wearing their 'own apparel' signifies these seven women wanting to ignore the way of life Christ lived, and the example He left for us, so they can live as they see fit and commit adultery against their own husband so they can fit in with the world in which they live.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
They certainly do not want to follow the example Christ set of ignoring the days, months, times and years of His day (Mat 12:1-5 and Joh 5:17-18). That is simply asking too much of these seven women, yet they want to claim they are the wife of Christ even as they insist upon being unfaithful to Him by using His gold and His silver to bind them to their lovers.
But a remnant will escape, and they will stand in sharp contrast to those who cannot separate themselves from Babylon.
Isa 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
In sharp contrast to these 'seven women' who will not accept the bread or the apparel of their true husband is "the branch of the Lord" which is being birthed through the judgment of these 'seven women' within us. These "seven women" who refuse Christ's bread and apparel are the church with Christ's name, which hates his bread and His apparel outwardly in this world. We have all been right there in Babylon, and Lord willing, we are now "dying daily" (1Co 15:31) to her false doctrines, and we are now "coming out of her" (Rev 18:4).
"The Branch" is often capitalized in the King James Bible, and it should be here inasmuch as it refers to Christ and by extension to His Christ which is "beautiful and glorious... the fruit of the earth... excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel". This is what Christ tells us of His purpose in calling us:
Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Those are they who have "come out of" these 'seven women'. These "seven women" are "Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of abominations of the earth" (Rev 18:4).
Let's take the time to notice how hard it is for the translators to understand the principle of "the dream is one" as it relates to "The branch [and] the branch of the Lord":
Psa 80:15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
Isa 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.Isa 60:21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
Jer 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
Eze 8:17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Zec 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
How glorious that we have been given to be "the branch" of "The Branch" and to be used of The Branch to "build the temple of the Lord".
As always, this phrase, too, has a negative application:
Isa 25:5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
"The branch of the terrible ones" will be destroyed and never be rebuilt:
Isa 25:2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
Isa 25:3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
Isa 25:4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
It has all been written in advance. "The Branch", and all who are in Him, will "be beautiful and glorious", and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
"Jerusalem" is where God has chosen to place His name and to dwell.
1Ki 11:36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
Zec 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
But Christ and Paul both tell us that 'Jerusalem' is not any longer to be understood as being a physical location in which God places His name, but rather Jerusalem is now to be understood as a realm of the spirit, and both Israel and its capital are now to be understood as being within us:
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [The spiritual Jew, Rom 2:28-29]
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
From "the time of reformation" onward, the physical is no longer the true Jew, Jerusalem or Israel:
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom [Israel] of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom [Israel] of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.Rom 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Rom 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
"Even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem" makes it obvious that Isaiah was familiar with these verses of scripture:
Psa 139:15 My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
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.
God also has a "book of life", and only the true spiritual Jew and the true spiritual Israelite are written in that book, because:
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
But our election comes only through fiery judgment and through drinking the same cup of which Christ drank:
Mat 20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Minutes become hours when we are being sorely tried and judged, but "he that endures to the end shall be saved [and] inherit the kingdom of God" and all the glory that comes with being in and with Christ and His Father on His Father's throne. Our days have already been written "in [God's] book...when as yet there was none of them", and this is the rewards of those who are faithful to the end:
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
This is the wonderful Truth of our calling:
Isa 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Zec 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel [a type of Christ] have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
Rom 9:28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
Other related posts
- The Prophecy of Isaiah - Isaiah 4:1-3 "We Will Eat Our Own Bread" (October 7, 2016)
- Gospels In Harmony - We Find Joy in Tribulation Through the Vine (December 7, 2021)
- Acts 25:1-27 I Appeal Unto Caesar (September 30, 2023)