BOOK OF ISAIAH  -  CHPATERS 40 - 66

 

A study on the last 27 chapters of Isaiah helps us to understand the end of the present age. Use this brief outline as a study guide as you read the verses yourself.

These chapters historically speak to the exiles and prophetically speak to believers that: 1.God is powerful and has not been defeated by the God of Babylon (Satan and the world system), 2.God continues to love Israel (believers) and has not abandoned them. 3.God is reliable and what He promises, He will do. 4.The exiles (believers) can be sure they will return to their land (believers overcome) as the words of the prophets are--and will be fulfilled. We will try to understand these chapters and how they relate to Israel and the Church prophetically in our time. As you read keep in mind that Isaiah is an end of the age, millennial book. It is a dual prophecy. It is historically true and prophetic to the period in which it was written and is also a word to future believers about the end of the age. When reading the prophets we should always try to understand them in their historical (that time), personal (our lives), and prophetic (future) context.

SECTION ONE - CHAPTERS 40-48

Prophecies delivered to exiles in Babylon, predicting the restoration of Zion and the downfall of Babylon; the tone is excited and hopeful.

40.1-11 God comforts His people and assures them their punishment at the hands of the Babylonians is over and they will soon return to Zion. The punishment they have received is enough--they have been chastised and have humbly learned their lesson. In verses 6-8 we can hear the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 1.24-25) repeating these words in his first epistle. Then a herald announces to Jerusalem that the Lord will soon arrive as a shepherd to protect his lambs.

Salvation is of the Lord. We look to the hills from where our salvation comes. At the end of the age the Lord will gather His people and protect us from the wrath of God that comes upon the wicked.

40.12-31 These verses focus on God’s power as creator of the heavens and the earth. None can prevent Him from acting and accomplishing His word. God is mightier than idols or false religions. There is only one true God and He has created everything. God’s creation of the world is described. Finally the nation is consoled that God has not stopped paying attention to them for He never becomes weary. Now that they have repented, God will restore them and re-energize them.

41.1-7 A mock dialogue with the nations. Can any nation or their Gods match the true deity’s power? There are many religions and cults in the world, but none can stand in the presence of God our Father. No other God has demonstrated mastery over world events like our God.

41.8-20 The nations are in turmoil and afraid, but God’s people need to trust in Him. He has chosen us and is revealing Himself to the world through us. We are told we can move mountains if we have faith. God will provide water for us in the desert. In Hebraic thought, moving a mountain is overcoming the most difficult things.

These verses have meaning in the historical context of the time. Prophetically, the Lord is telling us that our trials and tribulations are meant to help us yield to His ways and not rely upon ourselves. If we want to see God accomplish great things through us we must learn to “lay down” our lives and learn to yield to the Holy Spirit. This takes a lifetime to learn.

41.21-29 Another mock debate emphasizing God’s sovereignty. The debate takes place in a courtroom, but the other side has no reply and remains silent. Again the Lord argues against other gods, asking what they have done. God asks them to do something, anything to prove they exist--silence. The Lord has raised up Cyrus and through him the exiles are returning to Zion. God works through the events of man. The other gods are nothingness.

The world is full of false religions, beliefs, and cults. Witchcraft worships the earth, secular humanism worships man, and many religions still worship idols. Man would rather live in darkness than come to the light. We worship the one true God--the same yesterday, today, and forever/tomorrow!

42.1-9 God’s servant. Jewish scholars hotly debate who the servant is, but we know who it is--the root of Jesse, the son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. These verses are a great description of the Lord.

42.10-17 A concluding hymn. The chapter ends with this hymn or song describing God’s might and Israel’s restoration. The whole world will witness God’s saving power. God goes to war for Israel. He is described as a warrior and a mother giving birth. A bloody process ends with new creation.

God goes to war for us and with us. He died on the cross for us and asks us to lay down our lives and follow Him. Prophetically, God will reveal Himself to the world at the end of the age. Men will be tested by the word of God and war will be prevalent. At the end of this bloody mess, Yeshua will save the world from itself!

42.18-25 The nation of Israel, who deserves punishment, will ultimately be redeemed. Israel becomes an object lesson for God’s loyalty and ability to save. Thus Israel is a messenger through which the world will come to know the Lord. Israel is blind and has not yet understood its own purpose in history. The tone is bleak, but in reality God is telling Israel how much He loves them. God is going to reveal Himself to the world through Israel’s trials. This is a mystery that is difficult for us to understand. Israel and the Church have a common destiny. We are going to be united as one new man at the end of the age. Unfortunately, mankind will go through much suffering before accepting God’s truth.

43.1-7 The argument of Israel being ultimately redeemed continues through the first seven verses of chapter 43. Israel belongs to God and He will not punish her forever. He will not abandon her. These positive words will be the result of the difficult times Israel will face. God is going to gather them from the ends of the earth--and they will see Him at the end of the age.

43.9-21 Nations gather as Israel is gathered. As God brings Israel back to the land the nations gather against her. Israel is God’s servant and they will believe in Him (Yeshua) when these events come to a head. Babylon (the world) will lament when God brings her down and raises up Israel.

43.22-28 God reviews all the great things He has done for Israel in the past when they left Egypt. The liberation from Babylon will be even more impressive. Then the nation is reminded how they have sinned. This underscores the reasons they have been punished--but once that is done and they have repented--restoration. When punishment has run its course, redemption is nigh!

We don’t like to admit this, but today, the nation of Israel has still not accepted the Lord. They are sinning against the Lord. They have turned their backs. God is using them anyway because He chose them and He loves them. In our case, the Church is not walking in the Lord’s steps. We have allowed false doctrine and secular humanism to flourish in our midst along with replacement theology (Jews no longer chosen). We too will have to experience difficult days before we become the spotless and ready bride the Lord desires. The tribulation and purification at the end of this age will prepare both the nation of Israel and the Church for the royal banquet.

44.1-5 carry forward with chapter 43. We are told how the Lord is going to ultimately bless us--all mankind. Dry grass will turn green when given water. The Lord is going to water us. All nations will be blessed when they turn to the Lord.

The difficult thing to grasp in the Book of Isaiah is the eternal end time truths in the book. Not every generation has experienced trials and tribulation in the extreme. We have lived in a free country that has allowed freedom of religion and our nation in the past has been a beacon of freedom and liberty. Isaiah comforts God’s people in order for them to understand the mystery of God’s eternal purposes.


This world will go through tribulation because it rebels from Almighty God. A day is coming when the Book of Revelation will be current history. We all fall short of what God desires. Even believers will experience tribulation--but the true believer will not experience the wrath of God. We are eternally saved if our hearts are true. A coming generation is going to experience extreme history--but God will get His true believers through it to the glorious end. Isaiah is an end time book. Read it prayerfully and carefully.

44.6-28 The power of monotheism and folly of idolatry. Our faith is going to experience extreme testing in the future. This is why there is so much discussion about the folly of idolatry in Isaiah. Our society is being set up for the greatest deception in the history of mankind. Our entertainment, music, and movie industry are full of paranormal experiences directed at our youth. Ghost hunting, vampire worship, sci-fi, and cultic murder are prevalent in an overwhelming flood. God is exhorting us to know and understand just what it is that we believe. We need to understand what the Bible says or we will be deceived and defeated. These speeches in Isaiah seem primitive, but open your eyes and ears--what does it mean to us today? Hear the words of Isaiah.

In verses 9-21 the prophet mercilessly lampoons and mocks those who make their own gods to worship. He contrasts them to those who worship the true God. The Lord formed Israel; in contrast pagans form their own gods. Look around: are we not truly a pagan society? Have we not turned from what is good towards that which is evil?

Israel/Church should serve and trust the Lord. Then we can see and understand forgiveness. We turn back to God and he not only restores us, but empowers us to walk in the spirit and walk righteously.

Historically, Cyrus was God’s instrument to bring Israel back to the land. This is a type of the forces that brought each one of us to our moment of salvation and trust in Yeshua Ha Moshiac (Jesus Christ).

45.1-25 The universal God. This chapter focuses on Persian King Cyrus as the tool through which God brings salvation to Israel and to the entire world. Cyrus is referred to as the “Messiah” or “anointed one” in this chapter. God has raised up Cyrus to liberate Israel and thus spread God’s fame throughout the world. Verse seven says God creates darkness and forms light. (See Gen 1.1-5) People object to God working through a Persian king. God rebukes them. God rewards Cyrus for liberating Israel by granting him vast territories to conquer. The Lord is the true master of history.

God is in control. He works through the events taking place in the earth through man. How did God get the Jews to return to the promised land in our time? The Jews returned en-mass to the land of Israel through the horrible event of the holocaust. This is beyond our human understanding. The atrocities of the Nazi’s was a force used by God to get Jews to return to the promised land. Hasatan tried to destroy the Jews, but God used that to move them to the holy land. Who are we to question God? This is the exact message that Isaiah has been delivering to us. Man is involved in spiritual warfare in the heavens. We, as Christians, have very little understanding of what this means. The Lord is the master of His-story.

46.1-15 The gods of Babylonia (the world system) verses the God of Israel. There is nothing new under the sun. In scripture Babylon is a type of the current world system. Hear what the Lord is saying to us today. The unbeliever and pagans must carry their own gods, but our God will carry and rescue us! God asks to whom He can be compared? We are urged to remember all the things God has done for us in the past. His reliability and that of the prophets in scripture are trustworthy. God addresses us as sinners, so we can understand His mercy.

Moses knew the ways of God, but the children of Israel only knew his acts. As we grow in God and begin to understand His ways we become meek. Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth! It was said of Moses that he was the meekest man on earth. He was meek because he understood God’s ways. Most Christians only know God’s acts--they haven’t taken the time to know His ways! Spending time in God’s presence will work a meekness into a person!

Interestingly, the word meek in Hebrew means: Strength in reserve. Moses knew he had the power of God behind him but choose not to use or abuse it. Did not our Lord act in the same way?

Tomorrow: Chapters 47 through 51