Isaiah the Prophet,The Imminent Return of Christ: A Bible Commentary Chapters 40-66

By Dr. Oliver L. Johnson Jr.

Isaiah has always been considered the greatest of the Old Testament prophets and while many of his prophecies have already been fulfilled, many are yet to come to fruition. Chapters 40-48 are the comforting promises of the salvation and restoration of the exiles. Chapters 49-55 are messages of deliverance by the Messiah and chapters 56-66 are admonitions to obedience and promises of not only Israels future glory, but the raptured saints as well. In this book you will find out all about the end times And Gods judgments of Israel and all the nations that Come through the tribulation period!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496971067

Dr. Oliver L. Johnson Jr.

Dr. Oliver L. Johnson Jr. was born in Tuscaloosa Alabama to Mr. and Mrs. Oliver L. Johnson Sr. He graduated from Holt High School in 1972 and entered the United States Air Force soon afterwards. He spent 24 years serving his country traveling all over the world from Germany, Italy, South Korea and Honduras just to name a few of his assignments. After completion of his military service, he attended the University of Texas at San Antonio in pursuit of a business degree but God would tap him on the shoulders and show him his true calling and that was to preach, teach and write about biblical principles outlined in the greatest book ever written (the Bible). In some instances, the Bible can be hard to understand but through Dr. Johnson’s training and education, he has been able to tell God’s story so others can understand the most complex scriptures allowing them to learn and comprehend for themselves as well as teach others what thus saith the Lord! Dr. Johnson attended Andersonville Theological Seminary where he attained a Doctorate of Ministry degree graduating Suma Cum Laude. Afterwards, he attended Newburg Theological Seminary and graduated again Suma Cum Laude with a PHD in Biblical Studies. He has written seven other bible commentaries that are free to read and download on his website at:oljchristianenterprises.com. This book…is the third book he has written; the others are: “Jesus Christ and the Rapture” and “The Gospel of Mark a Bible Commentary”, which can be procured from Amazon.com along with this particular book as well

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© 2015 Dr. Oliver L. Johnson Jr. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 02/27/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7105-0 (sc)

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1, The Comforter and Creator has His Audience, Isaiah 40-41

Chapter 2, Redemption for Righteousness, Isaiah 42-44

Chapter 3, The Wonderful Works of the LORD, Isaiah 45-46

Chapter 4, The Plan in Action, Isaiah 47-49

Chapter 5, The Tables are Turned, Isaiah 50-51

Chapter 6, The Everlasting Salvation of Zion and the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52-53)

Chapter 7, A Covenant of Comfort and Compassion, Isaiah 54-55

Chapter 8, Justice and Judgment, Isaiah 56-57

Chapter 9, The Principles of Fasting, Confession and Redemption, Isaiah 58-59

Chapter 10, God’s Glory and Favor, Isaiah 60-61

Chapter 11, The Savior is Not Silent, Isaiah 62-64

Chapter 12, Judgment and Hope, Isaiah 65-66

Conclusion

Bibliography

About the Author

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to take this time to acknowledge God Almighty for first saving my life for without Him, I would not be here. It was through Him that I was able to go to school and complete seminary and it was He who gave me the ideas and fortitude to complete this book and it was He who showed me my true calling in life. I’d like to thank my darling wife Valerie who supported me every step of the way and who was my editor in chief. I’d like to thank my children whom I love very much: Kashana Warner, Anthony Johnson, Maurice Johnson, Jasmine Burditt and my baby girl Gabrielle Johnson. I’d like to thank the members of my church (Bulverde Baptist Church) who have shown my family and I much love and respect for these are truly God fearing people who love the Lord. Special thanks to my mother and father who taught me to worship the Lord and have gone on to live with the Heavenly Father.

Introduction

Isaiah’s ministry was primarily concerned with Judah and Jerusalem and occurred at a very crucial time in the nation’s history between 739 B.C. and 700 B.C. Several of Isaiah’s most significant messages are directly related to the critical circumstances encountered by the nation of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) in the second half of the 8th century B.C. Isaiah’s prophecies are not limited to Judah for he pronounces judgment upon Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Arabia and other surrounding nations and occasionally upon the Northern Kingdom of Israel as well. Isaiah is frequently quoted by Jesus Christ Himself and New Testament writers, and shows the importance of his prophecies. Jesus inaugurates His public ministry in Nazareth in Luke 4:17 and He later quotes Isaiah in Matthew 14 concerning the parable of the sower. Isaiah has always been considered the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Chapters 40-48 are the comforting promises of the salvation and restoration of the exiles. Chapters 49-55 are messages of deliverance by the Messiah and chapters 56-66 are admonitions to obedience and promises of not only Israel’s future glory, but the raptured saints as well.

The opening chapters describe how Israel was steeped in sin and Isaiah’s ministry is to tell Israel that only through her repentance can she avoid the inevitable judgment from God and invites Israel to come and let us reason together (Isaiah 1:18). Isaiah’s ministry was in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah who were all kings of Judah. It is generally thought that Isaiah began his ministry toward the end of Uzziah’s reign of which was between 790 and 739BC continuing at least until shortly after the invasion of King Sennacherib (Assyrian King) in 701 B.C. His total ministry lasted about 40 years extending his into the reign of Manasseh the successor to Hezekiah. According to Hebrew tradition, Isaiah suffered martyrdom by being sawed in half during the wicked reign of King Manasseh; let’s look at Hebrews 11:37-40NIV, "They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." So, even though Isaiah died a horrible death, he was reward by God for his prophecies and obedience and sits in heaven today with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Isaiah’s name in the Hebrew language means Yahweh is salvation. The name was not an uncommon one as referenced in 1 Chronicles 25:3, and 1 Chronicles 25:15. Isaiah was the son of Amoz not to be confused with the prophet Amos. Isaiah was married and according to Isaiah 8:3, his wife was called a prophetess. Isaiah had two sons Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz and Shear-Jashub. Isaiah was considered royalty since he had access to the royal courts. According to Chapter 1 of Isaiah, he labored during the time when Judah and Israel were politically and economically prosperous. Under Uzziah, Judah had attained a high degree of prosperity identified in 2 Chronicles 26, but under Israel Jeroboam II, recovered most of the territory that was subject to King Solomon before his death. The great wealth produced by both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah produced the usual moral and social evils that resulted in the delineation of religion, which resulted in dire and apostate circumstances.

Isaiah’s main mission was to rebuke Judah and to get the nation back on track. To understand the historical background of Judah, we need to look at three crises that arose during Isaiah’s ministry:

Cero-ephromatic war

In 734 B.C. Rison King of Syria and Pekah King of Israel formed a military alliance to oppose Tiglath-Pileser III who was King of Assyria. At that time the nation of Judah was under King Ahaz and for some reason refused to join in this resistance against Assyria whereupon Syria and Israel moved upon Judah. Tiglath-Pileser captured Damascus the Syrian capital and killed Rison the king and he carried the population to Assyria. He invaded Northern Israel ravaging carrying off many captives, which is called the Galilean captivity. Tiglath-Pileser would now turn his attention to Samaria, the capitol of Israel, which took place in 722 B.C. Pekah after reigning for 20 years was assassinated in 732 by Hoshea who then became the Northern Kingdom of Israel’s last king. Upon the death of Tiglath-Pileser III in 727 B.C., Hoshea weary of paying heavy tribute to Assyria turned to Egypt for help and failed in its annual tribute to Assyria. The new Assyrian king Shalmennezer the fifth invaded Israel and laid siege to Samaria (Israel’s capitol). During this Samarian crises Shalmennezer died and Sargon the II (his successor) continued the siege. Samaria fell to him in 722 B.C. and the fall of Samaria resulted in the utter collapse of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and all its territory and became part of the Assyrian empire. After that time, the 10 tribes of Israel disappeared from history for they intermarried with the Assyrians and lost their identity and became hated as a people by the Southern Kingdom for the children of the Assyrian captivity became the Samaritans a sort of half-bread nation of people.

The Babylonian Period

On the other hand we have the apparent setting of the circumstances of the Babylonian captivity, 586-536 B.C. Actually, Isaiah’s prophecies do not include very specific details and descriptions of Babylon or the exile in his prophecies; not anything like the Assyrian background; there are not the firsthand, eye-witness accounts of life and circumstances in Babylon one would expect if the author had lived there. The most specific reference comes with the mentioning of the name of the king of Persia, Cyrus, who would conquer Babylon (ref. Isaiah 44 and 45). The presence of this name in the book has prompted many to see the second part of the collection as the work of another prophet, one who lived closer to the events and could reasonably be expected to use a name like Cyrus since he would be more of an eye-witness. In other words, this other prophet saw Cyrus coming against Babylon, and so predicted that he would destroy Babylon and free Israel. However, I am of the opinion that since Isaiah prophesied many future events, it was indeed he who saw Cyrus and the events leading up to freedom of Judah from Babylonian captivity.

The Persian Deliverance

What can we make of the use of the name of Cyrus in the prophecy? Critical scholars find it too difficult to accept that a prophet could predict the name of a king some 175 years before he came on the scene. But was the Persian Empire or such a name that obscure? It is helpful to have the history clear in our minds before discussing the critical issues of the Persian Empire. The royal line of which Cyrus was a part of, was founded by Achaemenes, who ruled from 700-675 B.C. (contemporary with Isaiah). It was he whose name was taken for the empire, the Achaemenid Empire. His son was Teispes (675-640 B.C.), expanded the boundaries of Parsa (Persia) as far south as Pasargadae. Because his empire was so great, he divided it between his two sons, Ariaramnes in the south and Cyrus I in the north. This division meant that there was a ruler known as Cyrus around 70 years before Israel went into captivity. Cambyses was placed over the empire when Persia became a Median province again; he married the daughter of Astyages. Cyrus II, being the offspring of that marriage, thereby uniting in himself the royal houses of the Medes and the Persians. Cyrus’ grandfather on his mother’s side was the great Cyaxares who overthrew the Scythians and the Assyrians, establishing control over all northern Mesopotamia and Iran.

When it came time to take Babylon, the people were eager for Cyrus the Great to do it, for they were bitter against their king Nabonidus who rejected their worship of Marduk (pagan deity of Babylon) and kept them exploited as slaves. Cyrus’ general Gubaru (Darius the Mede in the account of Daniel 6) took the city without a battle; a few days later Cyrus could march in triumphantly. I’ll get into this issue in more detail later on in the book. But it is important to realize that the movements of these world powers were well known in the various courts, including Jerusalem and the Book of Isaiah gives sufficient evidence that the prophet knew international affairs. The growth and influence of the Persian Empire was not hidden from the rest of the world; this state and its kings were not non-existent until 536 B.C. And a name Cyrus was associated with this rising power as early as 670, 660 B.C. or thereabouts.

These instances of various wars and calamities will culminate with Jesus’ Imminent return as He comes back bringing the raptured saints with Him, frees Israel and sets up His kingdom in Jerusalem to rule the entire world. As He does that, this book endeavors to describe in detail how that will occur and to what extent will the nation of Israel’s involvement be in finally accepting their Messiah and to what extent will the church play a role during Christ 1000 year reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

C hapter 1, The Comforter and Creator has His Audience, Isaiah 40-41

Isaiah 40:1-2

"Comfort, yes, comfort My people! Says your God. 2 Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins."

Application

T he word comfort denotes a strong impulse of the mind and can literally mean to cause to see the truth. The book of Isaiah can be considered the 5th gospel. In John 8:32, Jesus said: ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Too many times in American culture, many seek to go around Jesus and try to go straight to the Father. They should realize that trying to go around the Son is a worthless effort, for in doing so they are not honoring the Son and do not believe in His saving grace. Many don’t believe in the fact that Jesus died for all our sins to include that of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Atheists. He died for us all. Even though this is a factual truth, He must be accepted into one’s life in order to obtain salvation.

The main theme of Isaiah chapters 40-66 is comfort, and that truth is found in Jesus Christ. Verse 2 of our text is saying that Jerusalem is going into Babylonian captivity for her sins against God, and that the punishment is a double portion because she was warned many times about transgressing against God. After a time, her sins will be forgiven and Jerusalem will be rebuilt. This passage could also be considered a Messianic Prophecy because Judah would once again come under Roman subjugation, but it would come to an end at the battle of Armageddon and finalized at the battle of Gog and Magog. *H.A. Ironside makes a profound statement regarding man’s sin and says, If we never knew grief or pain we would never be able to appreciate what God can be to His suffering people. When we cry to the Lord in hours of distress, He does not remove the cause of our trouble in every case, but always gives the needed grace to bear whatever we are called upon to endure.¹

Isaiah 40:3-5

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Application

I n Matthew 3:3, John the Baptist (the forerunner to Jesus Christ), applied these words to himself. To understand the work of John the Baptist, we should bear in mind that the roads in that era and that part of the world were in bad condition. Heralders (announcers of dignitaries) would be sent out to announce that a great dignitary was about to pass through and the people would make way. The entire nation of Israel is summoned to clean the trash and debris out of the roads so that this great dignitary could pass by on smooth ground. In verse 4, Isaiah speaks of a crooked and perverse generation. Perverseness cannot rid itself of perverseness and darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only the Son, Jesus Christ, is the light that shines in a dark place. Therefore there needed to be one who would come and drive out all sin and depravity and that was Jesus Christ; but the heralder (in this instance) who called the people to attention was John the Baptist.

Isaiah 40:6-8

The voice said, Cry out! And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever."

Application

J esus Himself said that heaven and earth shall pass away, but His word shall stand forever. God says in verse 1 to cry which means to prophesize. When Isaiah humbly asks what he should cry to the people who he envisions as being in exile, he is answered that he must preach between the antithesis (opposition), between all flesh and the word of the Lord, and is reminded that he must preach contrast. When this contrast is preached and rightly viewed, it contains a soothing comfort in that Israel’s oppressors are merely flesh and they will wither away like grass and all their proud culture will fade away. There are 8,886 promises from Genesis to Revelation and Israel’s promises from God will be realized despite her oppressors. Then in verse 7 Isaiah repeats, the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, indicating that all things of beauty fade away, but the word of our God stands forever. This is a marvelous lesson for us today concerning our good looks. A man will never be able to maintain his manliness or a woman her beauty, for as time roles along our good looks fade away. When we stand in Christ, we no longer worry about our youthful appearance for if we rest in Jesus Christ, we will obtain our youthful and vibrant appearance once again when we go to be with Him in eternity. Now, let’s look at Psalms 104: 30, Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The spirit of God is the author of life and is not as science dictates, which says we were born out of some pool of slime consisting of a one-cell animals, grew into an ape-like creature and evolved into what humans are today. The makeup of mankind is way too complicated to accept this idea, for the spirit of God brings forth life and mankind is His special creation. Lastly concerning a man’s glory is as of the flower that falls is indicative of those who worship their titles i.e. doctor of…, senator from… or even President of the United States. These titles will one day cease to exist, so it would behoove those who ride their high horse in this regard to humble themselves for God loves a humble heart and not pridefulness.

Isaiah 40:9-14

O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God! 10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?

Application

T he shepherd king who shows tender mercy to His flock is at the same instance, God the creator. Verse 10 is an indication that His kingdom will extend far and wide upon the earth. The phrase His reward is with Him, and his work before Him shows that Jesus will reward the faithful for their obedience and long suffering and that these rewards are greater than all the gold a person could carry and greater than all the adulation a person could have rendered upon him. Seven times in these verses God points out that He is the creator and by His omnipotence (all powerfull) and omniscience (all knowing), He measured all the waters of the oceans in His closed hand so that there is not one drop too many or one drop too less. He has taken the measure of the limitless heavens and all the dust of the earth He has measured to ensure completeness. Look at it this way, the earth is so small to the Messiah that He could scoop and carry away its dust in a small measure. In contrast, man believes that he is great and has accomplished so many things and that it is he is the center of all things. But if he would just stop and take measure of life itself, he would see that he is just a small speck in a great and vast universe that the Lord has measured and made. The bible says in Psalm 8:4, What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? What claim has one so weak, and frail, and short-lived, to be remembered by time? What is there in man that entitles him to so much notice? Why has God conferred on him such a significant honor? Why has He placed him over the works of His hands? Why has He made so many arrangements for his comfort? Why has He done so much to save him? Man is so insignificant that his life is much like a vapor, he is on earth for a little while but soon disappears. He is so sinful and polluted, that the question may well be asked as to why such honor has been conferred on him, and why such a dominion over the world has been given to him. Because his creator God loves him so much and desires that all should be saved. The marvelous order of the universe is ascribed to the wisdom of the Messiah for He has weighed and portioned out everything in heaven and on earth so that the space in heaven and earth is neither too great nor too small.

Verses 13-14 talk about wise counsel; in other words, whom does Jesus go to for His counsel and the answer is obvious, He goes to no one for He is His own counsel. Let’s look at Romans 11:33-36 (NIV): Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? 35 Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him is the glory forever! Amen. No one has been Christ’s counselor, for He has been the one with the greatest plan of action for the entire universe. Nevertheless, man sometimes thinks he knows better than God, asking questions like why did God let this happen and why did God allow that to happen. We’ll find out what God thinks about these questions in Isaiah 55.

Isaiah 40:15-17

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. 16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. 17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.

Application

T he insignificance of all nations, is contrasted prominently with the overwhelming greatness of the Lord. The nations who through their unspeakable foolishness, want to rule the world and bestow greatness upon themselves, are no more than a drop of water hanging from a leaf. The representation of verse 16 is powerful because the main thought is that no sacrifice is great enough to honor the God who is coming to the cities of Judah. The only thing that pleases God is a heart that turns to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ who is full of grace and truth. Finally, verse 17 shows God’s contempt toward proud nations such as Assyria and Babylon during Isaiah’s time and those of today like the United States, China and other nations who lean towards pagan worship instead of worshipping God Almighty.

Isaiah 40:18-20

"To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 19 The workman molds an image, the goldsmith overspreads it with gold, and the silversmith casts silver chains. 20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman to prepare a carved image that will not totter."

Application

W henever Isaiah speaks about idolatry, he seems to use sarcasm and mockery. He speaks about the absurdity of these idols and then he leads us through a workshop where idols are made. In verse 19, the foolishness of the worker who toils daily to make these worthless images is described in detail. The irony in verse 19 ridicules the idea that these expensive idols can actually do something for the person who manufactured them. Exodus 20:4 says, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. We need to be extremely careful about forming idols. Let’s look at an idol that people worship today without knowing it. This representation is of Jesus Christ with blonde hair and blue eyes which came about during the Middle Ages. Many people used this representation in the 1970s to justify long hair. However, this is not what Jesus Christ looked like. The pre-resurrection portrait of Jesus can be found in the Old Testament. Song of Solomon 5:10-16(KJV) says, My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. 11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set 13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. 14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright as ivory overlaid with sapphires. 15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. This is the pre-resurrected portrait of Jesus Christ yet I don’t need to make pictures according to the scripture because the Apostle Paul says, in that day we shall see Him as He is.

The post-resurrection Christ was initially unrecognizable to His followers. He was different after His resurrection because His countenance had completely changed for He had now obtained a glorified body. Let’s look at Revelation 1:13-15: and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters. Notice in verse 13 that His hair is no longer black but white and the rest of the description is what we can expect to see when we go to join Him in eternity.

Isaiah 40:21-26 KJV

Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: 23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. 25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal saith the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Application

T he Messiah is first of all described as he which sitteth upon the circle of the earth. Long before astronomers realized that the world was round and 700 years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah spoke about the circle of the earth. There