04-CHAPTER FOUR - When Isaiah Saw the King
CHAPTER FOUR When Isaiah Saw the King
ISAIAH HAS more to say about the King and the kingdom than any other writer in the Bible. He saw both His sufferings and His glory, and he describes both. His sufferings we interpret literally. The fifty-third chapter, we all know, was fulfilled nearly two thousand years ago. If then, His sufferings are to be interpreted literally, why not His glory? What right have we to spiritualize the predictions concerning the kingdom and apply them, to the Church? I believe they are to be interpreted literally. GOD meant what He said and said what He meant. He saw the end from the beginning. Let us hear, now, what Isaiah said when He saw the King. No More War
First of all, let us turn to Isaiah 2:1-4 : "The word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the GOD of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
GOD gave Micah this same vision (Micah 4:1-8).
It has to do with the tribe of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. GOD’s kingdom is supreme over all. He controls all nations. Most people are God-fearing. Jerusalem is the center of worship. War is forever outlawed. JESUS CHRIST is now the Ruler of the world. All this we have already seen in our study of Micah. Verses 11 and 17 tell us that man’s day is over. At last he is humbled to the dust and the Lord alone is exalted. "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." (Isaiah 2:11) (Isaiah 2:17) With that majestic passage, Isaiah 9:6-7, we have already dealt. It proclaims Him King on David’s throne and tells us that JESUS CHRIST is GOD. What a prophecy!
Peace and Righteousness Let us read from Isaiah 11:1-13; Isaiah 12:1-6 :
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 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; 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: 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. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall Play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people, to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim."
"And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song, he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."
Safety, Blessing and Prosperity
We have come now to one of the most glorious prophecies ever uttered. The entire passage has to do with the King and the kingdom. None of it was fulfilled at the first advent, and none of it can be spiritualized, for it has no fulfillment in the Church, in spite of what the great commentators say. GOD did not see fit to enlighten them.
Knowledge was not to increase, according to Daniel, until the latter days. The prophet begins by tracing the human ancestry of the King back to Jesse, the father of David. Once again JESUS is the Branch. GOD’s Spirit possesses Him, so that He is the wisest of the wise. He is the mighty Counsellor. All knowledge is His so that He does not err in judgment. He is always right. In Him the defenseless have a righteous Advocate. He speaks and it is done. The wicked are slain and the righteous exonerated.
During His reign over the earth the instincts of animals are changed. No longer is it the law of the tooth and the fang. No longer must they kill or be killed. Even among the beasts of the earth, for the first time in history, there is friendship. Never before had the lamb dwelt with the wolf unless it was on the inside. Now both dwell together, while the leopard and the kid live in harmony. The calf and the lion become friends. And in the midst of it all, a little child - playfully and fearlessly - makes them his pets. Bears and cows feed side by side and their young sleep together in perfect safety, utterly unafraid. Even their appetite is changed, for the lion - a meat-eating animal - becomes domesticated and eats straw or hay as does the ox.
Then to prove that there is no danger anywhere, the prophet sees a little baby with its hand over the hole of the asp, and an older child at the den of a cockatrice, and he says, "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain." (Isaiah 11:9) A mountain in prophecy is a kingdom. This mountain is GOD’s kingdom. None will hurt, none will destroy in any part of that kingdom. There will be safety throughout the entire world during the reign of CHRIST. The Golden Age will at last become a reality, for the Millennium will be here. Can you picture such a world? Ferocious animals become the pets of children. Blood ceases to flow, for they never kill again. Danger is an unknown word. Lions gambol on lawns. Wolves lose their fierceness. Leopards no longer lurk in their hiding places and spring on their victims. Little children know no danger, for safety is the order of the age.
I always have hated violence, brutality and cruelty, either to animals, to birds, or men. GOD does, too. In that day there will be no more destruction. Animals, birds and men will rise to their highest height of perfection and security and will at last fulfill their God-intended destiny. All will live together as a happy family, never again to hurt or destroy. What a picture! And what a day that will be!
World-wide Knowledge of GOD
Today the world knows but little of GOD. Most nations are almost entirely ignorant of Him. In that day, the prophet says, "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:9) How much of the sea is covered by water? All of it, is it not? So, too, will it be with the knowledge of GOD. All the world will know Him. The most backward island, the jungle of South America, the heart of Africa - all will be ablaze with the knowledge of the Lord. In that day there will be no more missionary work to be done. Now is the time to do it. If we do not do it now, we never will. In that day it will not be needed. The Lord will have made Himself known to all alive on the earth. The Eskimos in the Arctic, the savages in the great forests of Brazil, the Hottentots of Africa, the wild pygmies of the jungles - red, yellow, black and white - all will know Him in that day. At last the world will be Christianized, its people converted, and society, as a whole, become God-fearing and righteous. GOD speed the day; it cannot come too soon. But who is the King, the Leader, the Ensign?
"A root of Jesse." And who is that Root? JESUS CHRIST. Will it be for Israel alone? By no means. "To it shall the Gentiles seek." (Isaiah 11:10) Thus the rule of JESUS CHRIST will be universal. All the nations of the world will submit to His authority. "His rest shall be glorious." Such glory mankind has never seen. The coronation of the Queen of England was glorious, but that glory will fade into insignificance in comparison to the glory of the King of kings. His kingdom, His rule, His reign, will be the most glorious ever known.
Israel will be regathered and restored. Once a few of them were brought back from Babylon, but now all of them will be brought from the nations of all the world, and restored to their own land. No longer will there be any jealousy, division, or conflict among them. Ephraim and Judah will be reunited and will become one nation again. Oh, what a change! .Once they fought each other. Now they are at peace. A Spiritual Outpouring
Moreover they will experience a great and wonderful outpouring of the Spirit, that will cause them to praise the Lord for His goodness to them. Their hearts will be changed and they will become a truly spiritual nation. At last they will be comforted. Their years of wandering over, they will find rest to their souls. Trust will take the place of fear. Praise will fill their hearts, and their songs will be of GOD and His mercy to them. "I will trust, and not be afraid," (Isaiah 12:2) they will say. Oh, what joy will then be theirs! What exultation of spirit! Isaiah is beside himself as GOD reveals it to him, and he cries out, "Sing unto the Lord . . . Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." (Isaiah 12:5-6)
He sees the Messiah, JESUS CHRIST. He dwells in Jerusalem in the midst of His people Israel. Holy is He, holy and great, for He is GOD. And now, at long last, He is ruling over all the world. No wonder He is worshipped by His people, for is He not the Lord GOD Himself?
Let all the world bow before Him, rulers and potentates, kings and queens - let them cast themselves at His feet and acclaim Him Lord of lords and King of kings. Take off your crown, ye kings; bare your heads, ye rulers; lay aside your badge of authority; bow the knee, ye people of the world, and worship at His throne.
All hail the pow’r of JESUS’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all! In Isaiah 27:6 we read, "Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit." Yes, Israel will yet be a blessing. But it will not be until the Kingdom Age. Yet, since there can be no kingdom without a king, in Isaiah 32:1, the prophet predicts: "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness." Did He reign at His first advent? He did not. Then when will He reign? When will Isaiah 32:1 be fulfilled? When He comes again. Then He will reign, and righteousness will characterize His reign. For, with the outpouring of the Spirit, the nations will become righteous, and the earth fruitful.
There will then be quietness, peace and assurance, as described in Isaiah 32:15-18, "sure [or safe] dwellings, and in quiet resting places." In Isaiah 33:17 we read, "Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off." Yes, in that day we shall see the King, the Lord JESUS CHRIST.
Jerusalem in the Golden Age Our passage here is Isaiah 33:20-24 : "Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us. And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity."
Now for a look at Jerusalem during the Golden Age. The city will be quiet. It never has been, but it will be. And then the glorious Lord will reign; He will reign as Judge, as Lawgiver, and as King. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will be a forgiven people and a healthy people. Sickness will be no more. There will be no hospitals or clinics, and no asylums during the Kingdom Age. Doctors will have to seek another occupation, for none will be sick. The things that cause ill-health will be gone. The curse will be lifted, and germs will disappear. "How are you?" will not be the salutation" for all will be well. Homes for incurables will be put to other and better uses, for none shall say, "I am sick." Oh, what a life! Sick benefits will no longer be needed. GOD knows the cure for all diseases. Leprosy, cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, and a score of other afflictions that we have always thought of as incurable, will be remembered as belonging to the dark ages of the past. "The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." (Isaiah 33:24) Soul and body will both be well.
Sometimes, when I walk through wards and corridors of hospitals and see the pain-racked bodies on either side of me, or listen to their groans, my heart within me cries for that Millennial day and age when there will be no more pain. Doctors and nurses may do what they can to relieve it now, but not until the Great Physician Himself takes over the government of the world will it be entirely eliminated. GOD never did intend that it should be. Pain in child-bearing is the result of sin. In that day "the people . . . shall be forgiven their iniquity." (Isaiah 33:24) Hearts will be cleansed from sin; none will be sick; neither shall there be any more pain. The Glories of the Millennium
Turn now to Isaiah 35:1-10 : "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.
"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your GOD will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
"And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their head: and they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." In these ten verses we have another of Isaiah’s greatest and most wonderful prophecies, not about the Church, but about Israel and the Promised Land. Here the prophet soars to the highest heights in describing the glories of the Millennium. It almost sounds like the poetry of Heaven, or the songs of the angels. It is a scene, the like of which this old world has never seen.
Waste places are to become a Garden of Eden.
Lands uninhabited will be populated. Deserts are to blossom and rejoice. I can imagine, from the sublime description, such rich and abundant vegetation, that the whole territory will be alive with the singing of birds and the joys of a plentiful harvest.
- Deserts will be gone.
- Waste places will produce.
- No longer will the weak be weak, or the feeble feeble.
- No longer will the fearful be afraid. All will be strong and courageous.
- Fountains of water, never before discovered, will be found; and through lands where once there was nothing but sand, rivers will flow, bringing luxurious vegetation and an abundance of everything.
- Parched ground will then be unknown. That age, we are told, will be characterized by holiness. Highways, where once travellers were threatened by wild beasts, will now be safe. Sinners will not journey on them. No pollution of any kind will be encountered. But language fails me.
What a land! What a people! What a city! What a reign!
Look now, as the ransomed of the Lord - with hearts overflowing with joy - turn their faces toward Jerusalem.
Hear them as they sing their songs of gladness. Where, now, is their sorrow? Why no more sighs?
"Sorrow and sighing," cries the prophet, have fled away. Only joy remains - "everlasting joy." (Isaiah 35:10) Such are the indescribable blessings of the Kingdom Age.
Comfort, Joy and Blessing Turn to Isaiah 40:1-2 :
"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
"Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins."
Two thousand years have now passed and Jerusalem has at last become the capital of the new social order, for the kingdom of GOD has now been established on earth, and JESUS CHRIST is reigning on David’s throne. Sin has been pardoned, suffering has ended, and all hearts are comforted. "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (vs 5). No wonder the heart of the prophet sings for joy. Glory has taken the place of suffering, and comfort, that of sorrow.
See also Isaiah 40:9-11 : "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
"Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."
- Here is exaltation unspeakable and glory indescribable.
- Here is fearlessness and courage.
- Here is deity itself, the deity of JESUS CHRIST.
"Behold your God" (Isaiah 40:9) is the proclamation to the cities of Judah regarding the returned Messiah. Yes, JESUS is GOD. He is now in Jerusalem and the fact is heralded far and wide. For, the Golden Age has been ushered in, the Millennium has been established.
- He comes.
- He rules.
- He rewards.
- He works. This is GOD’s program and it is now being fulfilled exactly as predicted.
- He nourishes His people, - He defends the weak, - He protects the helpless, and - He provides for all.
"He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:1). "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law" (Isaiah 42:4). Not only will He govern regathered Israel, He will also rule over the Gentiles. All nations will bow before Him. Even the most distant isle will obey His law. He will be the Supreme Ruler of all the world.
All Israel will be gathered and settled in the land of Palestine.
"Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 43:5-6).
"Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim" (Isaiah 49:12).
"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer" (Isaiah 54:7-8).
"Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee" (Isaiah 60:9).
Hearts Filled With Gladness
Let us look at Isaiah 51:3 : "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."
Jerusalem is to become a city of comfort. For three thousand years it has been a city of suffering, war, bloodshed and sorrow. Oh, what a change! The wilderness that has surrounded the city of Jerusalem now becomes a Garden of Eden. No more desolation, no more barren rocks and drifting sand.
Instead, the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness fill the hearts of her people.
Songs, the like of which they never sang before, are now sung. All hearts are full of praise and thanksgiving. Oh, what a prospect!
"Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away" (Isaiah 51:11 ).
GOD has now comforted His people (Isaiah 51:12). So now the prophet calls upon her to awaken, for the time has come for her to be adorned with the beauty and glory of the Lord.
"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city" (Isaiah 52:1).
"Thy God reigneth!" is now the proclamation (Isaiah 52:7).
Yes, He reigns at Jerusalem, the Lord JESUS CHRIST, and He is GOD.
Joy in Zion
Turn to Isaiah 52:9-10; Isaiah 52:13 : "Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Was ever such joy known before? Not in six thousand known years of man’s history. The Millennium has now been ushered in. GOD has made known His power. All the nations of the world have seen His glory. And now all is joy and gladness. Waste and desert places become beautiful. Zion has been redeemed, and JESUS CHRIST is now exalted and extolled. He has become the greatest of the great, and the highest of the high (Isaiah 52:13).
Light at Last
Let us read Isaiah 59:20 : "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord."
Now comes the question, When will CHRIST return? When will the Redeemer come to Zion? That He will come there can be no doubt. This very passage says that He will. But when will He appear? That is the question.
Paul tells us that it will be when the Church has been completed, when the Gentiles, who are to make up the Church, have been saved (Romans 11:23-29).
James says that it will be when GOD has taken out from among the Gentile nations a people for His name (Acts 15:14-17). Hence this glorious prediction was not fulfilled when He came the first time. It has to do with His Second Advent-when He comes again. Therefore, we hear the prophet exclaiming:
"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and \ his glory shall be seen upon thee" (Isaiah 60:1-2).
Neither Violence nor Destruction
Here we read Isaiah 60:18-20 : "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. The sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."
Violence - how GOD hates it! How every true Christian hates it, too!
Robbery with violence, what a crime! Surely the death penalty would not be too severe a sentence. Destruction - will the world ever see its end?
Think of the bombed cities of Europe, the waste and destruction in Korea, the rape of Poland. Man destroys, and he destroys by violence. Will there ever, we ask - will there ever be a change?
Thank GOD, there will.
Violence will be gone, destruction will be no more, and waste never again be known. Walls will be called Salvation, and gates Praise. In that day GOD will be the light and glory of His people, and the days of mourning will be ended. Oh, what a day! Are we going to spiritualize it, or do we actually want and expect it to take place?
I believe that when JESUS comes again to take over the reins of government, it will all be realized. The very earth itself will be glorified. In that day, says Isaiah, "They shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations" (Isaiah 61:4).
Jerusalem, the holy city, will yet be made a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:1; Isaiah 62:6-7).
CHRIST in Zion
Let us turn now to Isaiah 65:17-25 : "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
"There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall Plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not Plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.
"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord."
What a glorious prophecy! The Golden Age has come. CHRIST reigns in Zion. Joy now characterizes the people of Jerusalem, and the Lord Himself rejoices. All weeping has ceased. Tears no longer flow. The sob of a million heartaches is hushed forever. No more weeping. No more crying. Anguish and agony are felt no more.
Longevity, like that before the flood, will be restored. Life has been so short. It used to be long. Man scarcely begins to live until he must die. There is so much he wants to accomplish, but there is so little time. Now, at last, he will be able to live and enjoy the work of his hands. Old men will be numerous and they will seem young. If they die at an hundred, they will be looked upon as children. It will then pay to take time to build, for men will build for hundreds of years to come. They will live to rejoice and enjoy the fruit of their labors. So long will they live that GOD compares them to trees and says that the life of a man, in that day, will be as the life of a tree
Now, again, we have the prediction about the wolf, the lamb, and the lion. They dwell together. Their appetites are changed. No longer are they meat-eating animals. They now exist on vegetation.
Harmony prevails on every side. All is peace, not only among men, but also among animals. No longer do they hurt each other. "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 65:25) Perfect security in the kingdom of GOD on earth. Such is the prophet’s picture of this world of ours during the millennial reign of CHRIST. And in that day, as pictured here - not during the days of the Great Tribulation, but in the thousand years of kingdom blessedness - Israel will declare the glory of their Messiah among the Gentile nations of the world (Isaiah 66:19). The wicked will be destroyed and the Lord alone worshipped (Isaiah 66:24).
Such is Isaiah’s picture of the Kingdom Age.
~ end of chapter 4 ~
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