Isaiah

1. Isaiah “I will take revenge on you, my enemies” (1:24)

2. Chronology

3. Isaiah • “When King Ahaz…ruled Judah, war broke out. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah…king of Israel, attacked Jerusalem, but were unable to capture it. When word reached the king of Judah that the armies of Syria were already in the territory of Israel, he and all his people were so terrified that they trembled like trees shaking in the wind.” (Isaiah 7:1-2 – GN)

4. “The LORD sent another message to Ahaz: ‘Ask the LORD your God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven.’ Ahaz answered, ‘I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put the LORD to the test.’* So Isaiah told him, ‘Listen to this, government of David. It’s bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people---do you have to wear out God’s patience too? Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel.’ By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.’” (Isaiah 7:10-16) • *False piety. A smokescreen to cover up his lack of faith” (NET Bible notes)

5. “A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel (which means, ‘God is with us’).” (Matthew 1:23) • LXX

6. RSV 1952 • “A pastor in the Southern USA burned a copy of the RSV with a blowlamp in his pulpit, saying that it was like the devil because it was hard to burn, and sent the ashes as a protest...” • King James only movement • Isaiah 7:14 litmus test

7. Isaiah • Young woman or virgin? • Almah – can mean either virgin or young woman (the opposite meaning as “young man”; has to do with age more than sexual experience) • Betulah – can only mean virgin • “The LORD said, ‘Isaiah, get something to write on. Then write in big clear letters the name, MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ. I will have Uriah the priest and Zechariah…serve as witnesses to this.’ Sometime later, my wife and I had a son, and the LORD said, ‘Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Because before he can say 'Mommy' or 'Daddy', the king of Assyria will attack and take everything of value from Damascus and Samaria.’” (Isaiah 8:1-4)

8. “The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them…

9. “For you have broken the yoke that burdened them and the rod that beat their shoulders…A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, ‘Wonderful Counselor,’ ‘Mighty God,’ ‘Eternal Father,’ ‘Prince of Peace.’ His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace. He will rule as King David’s successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time. The LORD Almighty is determined to do all this.” (Isaiah 9:1-7)

10. Isaiah • “Listen, heaven, and pay attention, earth! The LORD has spoken, ‘I raised my children and helped them grow, but they have rebelled against me. Oxen know their owners, and donkeys know where their masters feed them. But Israel doesn’t know its owner. My people don't understand who feeds them.’” (Isaiah 1:2,3)

11. “Why this frenzy of sacrifices?’ GOD’s asking. ‘Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices, rams and plump grain-fed calves? Don’t you think I've had my fill of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats? When you come before me, who ever gave you the idea of acting like this, Running here and there, doing this and that-- all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship? Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings-- meetings, meetings, meetings--I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning.

12. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.’” (Isaiah 1:11-17 MSG)

13. “The Lord said, ‘These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.” (Isaiah 29:13)

14. Religion God’s way • Emphasis on “me”, my salvation, and the specific rules and traditions that will get me to heaven • Emphasis on doctrines and getting the right list • Emphasis on who’s in and who’s out; judgmental attitude • Emphasis on God: “Eternal life is to know God” • Emphasis on love for God, neighbor and enemies • Emphasis on service and care for all, especially societal outcasts

15. “So now, listen to what the LORD Almighty, Israel’s powerful God, is saying: ‘I will take revenge on you, my enemies, and you will cause me no more trouble. I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity.” (Isaiah 1:24-25 GNB)

16. I will turn my hand against you;I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. (NIV) • I will also turn My hand against you, and will smelt away your dross as with lye, and will remove all your alloy. (NASB) •  I will turn against you and clean away all your wrongs as if with soap; I will take all the worthless things out of you. (NCV) • I will turn my power against you. I will remove your impurities with bleach. I will get rid of all your impurities. (GW)

17. “So now, listen to what the LORD Almighty, Israel’s powerful God, is saying: ‘I will take revenge on you, my enemies, and you will cause me no more trouble. I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity.” (Isaiah 1:24-25 GNB)

18. “God, the light of Israel, will become a fire. Israel’s holy God will become a flame, which in a single day will burn up everything, even the thorns and thistles” (Isaiah 10:17)

19. “Because the LORD your God is like a flaming fire.” (Daniel 4:24) • “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29) • “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) • God is a consuming fire of love

20. “The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke. I said, ‘There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’ Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.” (Isaiah 6:4-6 – GN)

21. “He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, ‘This has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven.’ Then I heard the Lord say, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’ I answered, ‘I will go! Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:7-8 – GN)

23. Consumed or Healed by fire? • “As wax melts in front of the fire, so do the wicked perish in his presence. • But the righteous are glad and rejoice in his presence; they are happy and shout for joy.” (Psalms 68:2)

24. “But the LORD says, ‘Now I will do something and be greatly praised. Your deeds are straw that will be set on fire by your very own breath. You will be burned to ashes like thorns in a fire. Everyone, both far and near, come look at what I have done. See my mighty power!’” (Isaiah 33:10-13)

25. “The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: ‘Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?’ He who walks righteously and speaks what is right…” (Isaiah 33:14-15 – NIV)

26. “You are also God's building…each of you must be careful how you build. For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid. Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw. And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show its real quality. If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire. Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you! God will destroy anyone who destroys God's temple. For God's temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:9-17)

27. “Don't pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you…Don’t take revenge, dear friends. Instead, let God’s anger take care of it. After all, Scripture says, ‘I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord.’ But, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will heap burning coals on their heads* (make him feel guilty and ashamed).’ Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21)

29. “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant. But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal. He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the LORD’s messenger will purify the priests...” (Malachi 3:1-3)

31. “The LORD Almighty says, ‘The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them. But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun’s rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall.” (Malachi 4:1-2 – GN)

32. “I am God; who are you?”

33. “The judgment being never juridical but revelatory, it is not the expression of the servile terror of men, but of their comprehension of the divine reality...The judgment at this moment is then: to be what one has actually wished to be, but seeing it in the light of God what it was.”Jacques Ellul

34. Lucifer • “I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:14 – NLT) • “You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire from within you, and it consumed you. I let it burn you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.” (Ezekiel 28:18, NLT)

35. "Scripture indicates that every sinner kindles for himself the flame of his own fire, and is not plunged into a fire which has been previously kindled by someone else or which existed before him." • Origen, First Principles 2.20.4 (trans. G.W. Butterworth; London: SPCK, 1936)

36. Healing in this life “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

37. “The rivers of Edom will turn into tar, and the soil will turn into sulfur. The whole country will burn like tar. It will burn day and night, and smoke will rise from it forever. The land will lie waste age after age, and no one will ever travel through it again. Owls and ravens will take over the land. The LORD will make it a barren waste again, as it was before the creation.” (Isaiah 34:9-11)

38. “I came to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49) • “I baptize you with water to show that you have repented, but the one who will come after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire…He has his winnowing shovel with him to thresh out all the grain. He will gather his wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out.” (Matthew 3:11-12)

40. "An eternally-burning hell preached from the pulpit, and kept before the people, does injustice to the benevolent character of God. It presents him as the veriest tyrant in the universe. This widespread dogma has turned thousands to universalism, infidelity and atheism." Review and Herald, May 13, 1862

41. “This is not an act of arbitrary power on the part of God. The rejecters of His mercy reap that which they have sown. God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life…They receive the results of their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them.“ DA 763-764 (1898) • “The light of the glory of God, which imparts life to the righteous, will slay the wicked.“ (DA 108)