26/03/17 Isaiah 2:10-22 “That
day of judgment will come like a thief in the night”
Isaiah 2:10 – Enter into the rock,
and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his
majesty.
fear – terror; dread. Thus, the terror of Yehovah.
majesty – exaltation.
glory – splendour; majesty.
Go hide in the caverns in the rock
walls, hide yourselves in the dry loose earth, because of terror (dread) of Yehovah and because of the glory (majesty) of His
exaltation (the One who is lifted up above all else with absolute authority).
This picture would have been vivid in their minds after the earthquake during
the reign of Uzziah, which is probably why Isaiah has
used it here.
Amos 1:1 – The words of Amos,
who was among the herdmen of Tekoa,
which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah
king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash
king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Micah 1:4 – And the mountains
shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the
fire, [and] as the waters [that are] poured down a steep place.
Zechariah refers to the same
symbolic picture at the second coming of Christ.
Zechariah 14:2-5 – 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to
battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women
ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue
of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then
shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in
the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day
upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and
the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and
toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great valley; and half of
the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5
And ye shall flee [to] the valley of the mountains; for the
valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as
ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah
king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, [and] all the saints
with thee.
In Vs 19 & 21, the following
phrase is used in each verse: when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. While it doesn’t discount meaning an earthquake, it
actually refers primarily to the shaking or trembling of terror of people; and
the word “earth” (erets)
can mean the earth itself, but it also quite correctly may refer to the
inhabitants of earth. More on this further on.
earth – erets
(the whole earth as opposed to a part; earth as opposed to heaven; the
inhabitants of earth)
Note that in the tribulation men
will try to hide in the rocks and dens for fear of the anger of God.
Revelation 6:12-17 – 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; 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. 14 And
the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain
and island were moved out of their places. 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; 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: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?
This occurs before the 7 trumpet
plagues and the 7 bowls of wrath which culminate in Armageddon and the return
of Christ to the earth. Thus, this above passage is relatively early in the
list of plagues and curses that God sends upon the earth. Yet even the mildest
of plagues in the tribulation is going to be greater than anything man has ever
experienced before that time!
Isaiah 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.
The haughty looks of mean man (adam –
mean or common man- see Vs 9) shall be humbled (perfect tense this time rather
than imperfect in Vs 9) and the haughtiness (loftiness) of men (emphasising
mortal-ness, and can mean Adam or first man) shall be bowed down (again perfect
tense this time rather than imperfect in Vs 9). The perfect tense indicates
that the action has been completed. That is, according to this prophecy, the
action is already achieved; the prophecy of God, though yet future, is certain.
Yehovah alone will be exalted (lifted up; set on high) in that
day (end times term – see Zechariah 14:2-5 above). See Isaiah 2:9: only Yehovah God may be exalted, will be exalted in that day;
not common, mortal man, not even the greatest of men.
Isaiah 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:
For the Lord of hosts has a day
(or will have His day) upon every proud and lofty (haughty) person, ….
For that day of the Lord when He
brings all the proud and haughty ones down, will happen; that day will
come; everyone who is proud and lofty will not be able to escape in that
day.
Psalm 37:12-13 – 12 The wicked plotteth against the
just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13
The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
All those who are lifted up (claim
greatness; self-exalted) will learn that only Yehovah
Sabaoth (tsaba) may be lifted up on high; exalted. All those
who challenge God’s majesty will be cut down to size; they will be brought down
(“humbled” in Vs 11). Only God may be worshipped; only the Lord Sabaoth has
authority and power.
Philippians 2:9-11 – 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him
a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in
earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.
Who may stand against the Lord God
in that day when He comes to judge the nations?
Malachi 3:2a – But who may abide the
day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?
Revelation 6:17 – For the great day of
his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Psalm 76:7 – Thou, [even] thou,
[art] to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art
angry?
Nahum 1:6 – Who can stand before
his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is
poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
And judgment is certain, though
many might think it distant.
2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done,
whether [it be] good or bad.
And if we are lulled into a false
sense of security, and think that it will never happen:
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 – 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say,
Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a
woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Isaiah 2:13 – And upon all the
cedars of Lebanon, [that are] high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks
of Bashan,
The cedars of Lebanon symbolised
the great and proud, those who considered themselves mighty and above all
troubles. They were high (”lofty” Vs 12; “brought up” Isaiah 1:2) and lifted up
(exalted) above all other trees. But the great and proud who considered
themselves like the cedars of Lebanon shall be brought low in that day of the
Lord of hosts. Likewise, those who considered themselves as the great solid
oaks of Bashan: the day is surely coming when they, too, will be brought low.
Zechariah 11:1-2 – 1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy
cedars. 2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because
the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage
is come down.
lifted up – nasa
(lifted; be lifted up; be carried; taken away; swept away)
This word is the same
grammatically as “lifted up” in both Vs 12 & Vs 14, and “be exalted” in Vs
2. It is the same word but different tense in Vs 4: “lift up (sword)”; Vs 9:
“forgive”; 3:3: “honourable”; and 3:7 “swear”. Ch.2 & 3 use nasa seven times.
It is even used as “armourbearer”
18 times. (Eg. David became Saul’s armourbearer – 1
Samuel 16:21)
It is used in the following
passage where Lebanon and Bashan are devastated.
Isaiah 33:9-10 – 9 The earth mourneth [and] languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed [and] hewn down:
Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off [their fruits]. 10 Now will I
rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will
I lift up myself.
Isaiah 2:14 – And upon all the high
mountains, and upon all the hills [that are] lifted up,
This continues the theme that
those who are lofty (haughty) like the mountains, and those who are lifted up
(self-exalted) like the hills (can mean a place of false worship) will be
brought down low. Anything that might exalt itself against the Lord God will be
brought low. Cities were often built upon hills and especially mountains if
they could; it made it more difficult for the enemy to defeat them. Note how
difficult it was for King David to take Jerusalem. Even Josephus records the
Roman leader Titus as saying that they would never have taken Jerusalem had not
God been on their side.
Isaiah 2:15 – And upon every high
tower, and upon every fenced wall,
Every person who is as secure as a
high tower will be brought down. A high tower symbolised safety and security. A
fenced wall (like a city wall) also symbolised security behind a barrier that
would impede the progress of an enemy. Yet every person who trusts in his
defences around his life will be brought low.
A city with high towers
(strongholds) and thick solid walls was difficult to defeat. Often the only way
to win over them was to lay siege and hopefully starve the city into
submission.
2 Chronicles 26:9 – Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at
the valley gate, and at the turning [of the wall], and fortified them.
Hosea 8:14 – For Israel hath
forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah
hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it
shall devour the palaces thereof.
Isaiah 2:16 – And upon all the
ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
Likewise the ships of Tarshish (Spain, or a city of the Phoenicians) represented the
richness of their trade with other countries, and probably the alliances
(including mutual defence pacts) formed through trade agreements.
1 Kings 22:48 – Jehoshaphat made
ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they
went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion–geber.
The pleasant (or precious)
pictures (or images) probably refers to works of art, carvings of ivory, silver
and gold metalwork, exotic animals and birds, etc. Like Hitler in WW2, precious
art became highly desirable as status symbols. It could have included idols for
false worship.
2 Kings 10:21-22 – 21 And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels [were of] gold,
and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon [were of] pure
gold; none [were of] silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of
Solomon. 22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came
the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver,
ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
But not even the most priceless
art treasures may save anyone from the utter destruction of the Lord God.
Isaiah 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.
be bowed down – be bowed down;
prostrated; humbled; bow (in homage); bow (in mourning).
loftiness (haughtiness) – see “lofty looks” in Vs 11.
Vs 11 is almost the same as Vs 17,
with “humbled” equating to “made low”, and “be bowed down” changing position in
the sentence.
Isaiah 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.
Basically, the two verses are more
or less identical because being humbled can be seen as being made to bow down
before the majesty of God, and being bowed down can be seen as being made low
before God. These verses are examples of Hebrew parallelism (something
MacArthur appears to have not quite understood yet, according to his Study
Bible notes on Romans 5:15 and 5:18). They are also said to be examples of
Hebrew poetry refrains, repetitive lines to emphasise truths.
Isaiah 2:18 – And the idols he
shall utterly abolish.
Here again is that word used for
idols (Isaiah 2:8) meaning “worthless”, “good for nothing”.
God will make the worthlessnesses (good for nothings) go away (vanish;
disappear) utterly (entirely). That is, they will never be seen again; they
will never come back. Once the millennial kingdom is set up, there will be no
more idols, ever.
Isaiah 2:19 – And they shall go
into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the
Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth
to shake terribly the earth.
Vs 19 is expanding upon the ideas
raised in Vs 10 above
Isaiah 2:10 – Enter into the rock,
and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his
majesty.
Even all those who previously were
the great and mighty, the proud and lofty, the high towers and strong walls, the
strong and lasting trees, those with the backing and support of their idols,
and so on – even those will be so afraid of God’s judgment upon them that they
will want to hide in the rocks and caves (Revelation 6:16) to hide away from
the consuming fire of His anger
Hebrews 12:28-29 – 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved,
let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly
fear: 29 For our God [is] a consuming fire.
and from the glorious light of His
majesty which no unholy thing may approach
1 Timothy 6:16 – Who only hath
immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man
hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting.
when He arises to cause terror to
(or affright) the earth.
to shake terribly – to tremble; dread; be terrified; cause to tremble; to
feel dread; be affrighted.
It isn’t talking about any actual earthquake,
but instead a time of such terror and fear that the whole earth (all its
inhabitants) will shake (tremble) with terror. That is, God will cause the
whole earth (inhabitants) to shake with terror. They will shake and tremble as
if they were in a savage earthquake, yet it’s the glory of God’s majesty that
causes this shaking in terror! God may use an actual earthquake to shake
the earth, to strike terror into the hearts of men, but it will be the glory of
God’s majesty that will strike them with blind panic.
Luke 21:25-27 – 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and
in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea
and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see
the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
There will be nowhere to hide
(they can run but they can’t hide); not even the rocks and caverns of the earth
will protect them from God’s judgment when that day arrives. Right now, God’s
glory and majesty is not greatly evident in the world today, and man in general
is overly complacent concerning his future. But when God reveals His majesty
and glory, all who have rejected God’s authority will literally tremble and
shake with fear and absolute terror.
Isaiah 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;
In that day when man shall see the
glory and majesty of God, he will know his sinfulness and his unholiness. In God’s presence, all shall be like Isaiah in his
vision of God on the throne,
Isaiah 6:5 – Then said I, Woe [is]
me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts.
and like the tax collector.
Luke 18:13 – And the publican,
standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven,
but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
All those who have trusted in
idols will discover that their idols were truly worthless, good for nothing! In
particular, it would mean those idols which were made by the idol makers for
the use of the worshipper. Note the golden calf of the Hebrews in the desert.
When God brings judgment, no
amount of silver or gold may buy their freedom. They will throw those idols
away as rubbish, in disgust. The wording suggests that the idols were thrown
into holes in the earth (to the moles) and caves in the rocks (to the bats), probably
to hide them from God who is now seeking to judge them for their wickedness.
They don’t want to be seen with their worthless idols which will only condemn
them the more in the sight of holy God.
Zephaniah 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.
Isaiah 2:21 – To go into the clefts
of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and
for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to
shake terribly the earth.
And after they have thrown away
their useless false gods in disgust, frustration and even terrible fear, they
will take the only option left open to them. It’s too late to do the right
thing now; it’s too late to escape the terrible, eternal judgment of the Lord
of hosts. When God arises, He will cause all the wicked to shake in their
boots, quiver and tremble in absolute terror for what they can clearly see is
coming. See the similarity of this verse with Vs 19.
In the tribulation, there are two
major (significant) earthquakes that change the course of events. One is part
of the 2nd woe, just after the two witnesses have ascended into
heaven. It probably occurs not much more than 30 days before the even greater,
massive earthquake at the end.
Revelation 11:13 – And the same hour was
there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the
earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted,
and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The other is the 7th
vial (bowl of the wrath of God) just before the 2nd coming of
Christ. It occurs just after all the nations are gathered together to face the
judgment of God at Armageddon (the 6th vial of wrath). It is
recorded in prophecy as the greatest earthquake ever to hit earth, and is the
final massive curse God sends upon the earth; with a mighty cry: “It is done!” (The
last 7 bowls of the wrath of God probably take place over a period of just 30
days.)
Revelation 16:17-18 – 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. 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.
Isaiah 2:22 – Cease ye from man,
whose breath [is] in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Some teach that this verse is a
later addition to Isaiah, yet we’ll assume anyway that it is part of the canon
of Scripture. It brings to mind Psalm 8:4a – What is man, that
thou art mindful of him?
It can be seen as a warning for
Judah to give up reliance upon all those things in which they trusted for
safety and security, for nothing of man can save them from God’s judgment.
Man’s breath is but for a moment; he is like a mist that disappears (James
4:14). Surely man is of so little account that we must surely wonder why God is
still mindful of him.
And the church today just keeps on
enjoying its pleasures as if there’s still no tomorrow of accounting and
reckoning. Like Jerusalem, the church today just keeps on pretending that
there’s always tomorrow to repent in sackcloth and ashes. The church today has
no real message of hope for the lost. The lost grope around in blindness,
seeking a way that seems right to them, yet the church is so much the same as
the world that the question must be asked: how can the church give answers that
the world has failed to deliver? So the lost turn to the cults, those apostate
religions that offer a different hope to that of the world, yet their hope is
still in destruction and death. But people seek them because they are different
to what the world offers, and therefore more capable (in the eyes of the lost)
of hope for the future. Yet, by the time they discover that the cult was lies,
it’s generally too late. When will the church become separated enough from the
world to offer a realistic solution to man’s spiritual sickness? But that
solution can only come from God and His word, and all too often that is not
overly popular with so many in the church.
And who are the cults today? Well,
most accept that such as the JWs and Mormons are cults, and those with
discernment also accept that Seventh Day Adventists and extreme pentecostals
are clearly cults. But can they see that calvinism is also as much a cult, with
its different gospel (salvation given by God before they can believe in
Christ), lessened role of Christ in that salvation (He may only be believed in after
one is already saved), and exclusivity of salvation to their group alone (only
those of the unconditional election can be saved; all others are condemned to
hell without a choice)?
And those of the church are
listening to such false calvinist teachers as MacArthur without questioning
what he is actually teaching. Christians should be only accepting as doctrinal
truths those teachings that they can reasonably understand. Calvinism preys upon
man’s desire to know more than he is permitted to know (after all, that was
Adam’s sin, wasn’t it!). If you cannot understand it, test a teaching until you
can reasonably see whether it is proven or not; hold fast to that which is good
(1 Thessalonians 5:21). False teachers will be condemned to hell for all
eternity (unless they repent with godly sorrow of their sins), and so many of
those who listen to them will be enticed into that same hell merely because
they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) test all things.
The day of reckoning will come
(like a thief in the night), and God’s judgment will be held back no longer.
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