Isaiah 59

Isaiah describes in this chapter both God and the problem members of the remnant but it is God who outshines the transgressions of the remnant. The very first verse tells us of God’s ability to save which is limitless “the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save neither His ear so dull that it cannot hear” (v. 1). It is the Elijah message in verity. The Baal prophets were sleeping and could not hear, Elijah was mocking them. But, what seems as if God cannot hear or save, is their iniquities that has made a wall of separation between them and God (v. 2a). Their sins made Him to hide His face from them since God cannot compromise with sin (v. 2b). When a believing sinner cherishes his/her sins the Lord cannot but be absent. When Adam and Eve committed the one sin of eating the fruit, it was a complex of sins connected with it. They felt bad about it and hid themselves from God. God came to look for them because there was room for conversion. When the wayward members in the remnant harden their hearts against the promptings of the Holy Spirit, their persistence in sin cause the wall of separation with God and the Holy Spirit has to hid His face. Their sins are listed by the Lord: violence “hands are defiled with blood” (v. 3a); sin (v. 3b); lies (v. 3c); foul language (v. 3d); false prosecutors in courts (v. 4a); dishonest defending pleas in court (v. 4a); trusting in confusion (v. 4b); lies (v. 4c); mischief (v. 4d); give birth to evil (v. 5a); set up bad networks “weave the spider’s web” (v. 5a); whoever participates in their sin dies in eternal death (v. 5b); even if it suffers an accident the evil is not destroyed “that which is crushed a snake breaks forth” (v. 5c); their networks is not useful for clothes of righteousness and their works cannot be a garment of perfection for them (v. 6a-b); they work iniquity (v. 6c); violence (v. 6d); run to evil (v. 7a); speed killing (v. 7b); evil thoughts (v. 7c); in their highways are devastation and destruction (v. 7d); don’t know peace (v. 8a); don’t know justice (v. 8b); crooked paths are made by them (v. 8c); don’t know peace (v. 8d). It is for this reason that justice is far from them [Isaiah included himself] (v. 9a); righteousness is not imputed to them “righteousness does not overtake us [including Isaiah] (v. 9b); they hope for light but there is darkness [including Isaiah] (v. 9c); brightness but there is gloom [including Isaiah] (v. 9d); they are like blind people [including Isaiah] (v. 10a-b); they stumble [including Isaiah] (v. 10c); they are like dead people [including Isaiah] (v. 10d); they groan and moan [including Isaiah] (v. 11a-b); no justice [including Isaiah] (v. 11c); no salvation [including Isaiah] (v. 11d). Isaiah is now on his knees and praying for he realizes that the remnant sins outlined to him included him as human being as well. He admitted to God that their sins, including his own, are many and is a witness against them, that the sins are still remaining and that their mental lexicon listed their sins (v. 12). They sin and deny the Lord and turned away from Him, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words (v. 13), turning justice back and causing Christ our Righteousness to “stand far away” (v. 14b). With all this, truth stumbled in the street and uprighteousness cannot enter (v. 14c-d). “Truth is lacking” (v. 15a) and anyone who attempt to turn from evil to the unfaithful remnant members finds himself actually a prey (v. 15b). Isaiah admitted his own guilt and those surrounding him to the Lord in this prayer. He could not just relate to the unfaithful members in the remnant their sins, knowing that he also at times participated in those sins and he was on his knees from verse 9 until the end of his admission in prayer in verse 15b. Isaiah remained quiet for a while, since he has covered all the terrains of the evil of the remnant. The remnant is blind, imperfect, unjust, unrighteous, lying, sinning, transgressing, trampling on the truth, causing truth to suffer and Isaiah admits all these but now he was silent at the end of verse 15b. All that God said in His listing was true. What is the result of this interaction with Isaiah on the topic of evaluating the remnant through the ages? In verse 15c God made an investigative judgment of the remnant in advance of 1844 and He found none to be perfect to the requirements of the law of God “and it was displeasing in His sight that there is no justice” (v. 15d). “And He saw that there was no [perfect] man and was astonished that there was no one to intercede” (v. 16a-b). When God in advance looked through history to the remnant in all generations, in Isaiah’s time, He announced that He could find no one able to intercede for them in the heavenly sanctuary since 1844 (reckoned according to the year-day principle of the 2300 days = 2300 years in Daniel 8:14 staring in 457 BCE according to Ezra 7). There was no one to “cleanse” or “justified” the Sanctuary. Satan’s accusation that the Law of God cannot be kept by anyone, including God’s created humans, has to be “justified” in the Heavenly Sanctuary in front of all the unfallen beings as the jury. But, the dilemma, that God saw, He rectified Himself. The Messiah or Christ was the solution “then His own arm brought salvation to Him” meaning that the incarnated God as a divine human being would do what man couldn’t to earn the status of Heavenly Intercessor on behalf of humanity. “His righteousness upheld Him [Messiah or Christ from 4 BCE to 31 CE when He died on the cross]” (v. 16c-d). This Messiah and Christ qualified to be Intercessor in heaven “and He put on righteousness like a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on His head and put on garments of vengeance for clothing [since He will have to confront Satan and all evil in the final eradication at the Executive Judgment at the end of history before eternity proper starts] (v. 17a-c). He wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle (v. 17d). He does this with eagerness since the harvest by His blood is great and worth the price, thus the zeal. In the Investigative Judgment where the Interceding work of Christ is necessary for the saints and in the Executive Judgment of the evil and Satan “according to deeds so He will repay” (v. 18a). When He comes at the Second Coming His reward is with Him and judgment for the saints are completed. “Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies” (v. 18b). The Door of Mercy closes after the completion of the Investigative Judgment of the saints and a Time of Trouble follows the Latter Rain or final call and that is the period the plaques will fall which is this wrath on His adversaries. This is all before the Second Coming of Christ. The plaques will fall on the coastlands (v. 18c). Then during the Time of Trouble, which will probably be very short, Christ and all His bright angels will appear and they will globally fear the name of the Lord “from the west” or the USA and “His glory from the rising of the sun” or Asia Pacific “for He will come like a rushing stream” (v. 19c and see Habakkuk 3 for his vision on this very event). It is a stream “which the wind of the Lord drives” (v. 19d) which is the mighty role of the Spirit of God. That day, at the Second Coming, says Isaiah, “a Redeemer will come to Zion” (v. 20a) referring to Zion as people. The heavenly Zion or New Jerusalem is where the earthly Zion[ists] will go to. The Zionists here are not geo-ethnic Israel but “those who turn from transgression in Jacob” (v. 20b). It is a spiritual identification not based on blood and race. At that time perfection will be bestowed on all resurrected ones “and for Me, this is My covenant with them: ‘My Spirit which is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth . . . from now and forever” (v. 21). Eternity started for the remnant but the evil is still part of history for a thousand years later they will be eradicated at the Hell event experiencing the wrath of God and the new creation of the earth is when eternity proper for the whole universe starts, ending this world’s painful history, forever.

Dear God

Also we want to be part of those who will receive the Holy Spirit upon us and Your Words in our mouths. Also we want to be forever abiding with the happy ones in heaven meeting our Redeemer regularly. Amen

Koot van Wyk, (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Kyungpook National University, Department of Liberal Education, Sangju, South Korea; conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia