Isaiah 13

Hundreds of years before it happened, Isaiah prophesied that the greatest city of antiquity would fall. He told who would conquer it. He described the massacre that would happen. He called it a Day of the Lord.

God can do more than a lifetime in a day. Each day is a chance to accomplish something. Apart from God, we can waste days. WITH Him, we can make them count (I’m preaching to myself!)

Keep praying for the DAY when God will accomplish great things FOR YOU. He really only needs a split-second, but it will be strategically placed within A DAY.

Isaiah 11, 12

The thousand year reign of Christ, known as the Millennium, is described in chapter 11. Chapter 12 is a praise psalm which many Christians have sung from.

Although we live in the “Nasty Now and Now,” there is a day coming called the “Sweet By and By.” It can be deduced that Christians will return with Christ and rule and reign in the earth with Him during this period. Yes, there are better days coming where the lion will lay down with the lamb and true justice will rule in the affairs of men.

Christ Jesus’ open rule is the missing element in our present society. For His rule to take place right now, the Saints need to pray to see His will be done. Prayer is our gateway to God’s power in our lives.

Isaiah 10

They may not realize it, but the leaders of nations are being closely monitored by the Lord. He watches and evaluates their motives and actions. They will not escape His judgment and justice.

For instance, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine reveals a contrast in leadership character. If we notice a difference, how much more does the Lord understand their heart and motives.

Essentially, Putin has exposed himself as a butcher with little regard for innocent life. He won’t get away with it. Hitler didn’t. Mussolini didn’t. Pol pot didn’t.

God doesn’t always pay on Fridays, but He always pays.

Isaiah 9

Woven into the seemingly random points the prophet makes in this chapter is one of the most remarkable prophecies of Christ in the entire Old Testament. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a GREAT LIGHT.” That Great Light of course is Christ Jesus.

On my one and only trip to the Holy Land, I was having breakfast in a hotel in Tiberias overlooking the Sea of Galilee. I was reading Matt. 4 where the author quoted Isaiah 9. He referred to the very passage that identified Christ Jesus as that Great Light. As I read the passage, the morning sun was rising from the east side of the Sea. I was sitting in the very part of the world referred to in Isaiah’s prophecy. I had walked where Jesus walked. I was gazing upon the body of water that Jesus frequented. It was a surreal moment.

God’s Word is TRUE.

Isaiah 8

Isaiah wrote, “You are to regard only the Lord of Hosts as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be held in awe.” [Is. 8:13 HCSB] When you fear God alone, you don’t need to fear man.

One of my former students, Adrian Tice, was listed in a lawsuit in Chicago because the church where he is an assistant Pastor refused to withhold meeting during the Covid quarantine. Being from Romania, he had firsthand experience with the subjugation tactics of the Romanian Communist regime. Praise the Lord, the litigation against him was dropped. Because he and the Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church leadership feared God, they didn’t need to fear the corrupt Chicago political machine.

Isaiah 7

The prophet was instructed to go to King Ahaz and challenge him to stand firm in his faith when Israel was threatened by two allied enemy armies. He was to rely on his confidence in God rather than succumb to the appearance of tragedy playing out before him.

Life can similarly threaten us. We have an assurance of victory through Christ Jesus. We need to stand firm and trust God for the win.

Isaiah 6

As Isaiah approached the Lord in His Temple, he became acutely aware of how unclean and unholy he was. This happens when we truly come into God’s presence and live there. Worshipers are humble because they, like Isaiah, are UNDONE. There’s no arrogance in the Holy Place. All of humanity must bow and come under God’s glory.

A worshipper is a broken person. They are sensitive to the needs of those around them. They want to give more than receive. They want to pray about everything and get God’s help. They would rather be in God’s presence than anywhere else.

We are in the world but not OF IT. The Lord sends us out as lambs among wolves. He, however, is our protector and provider. He is our ALL IN ALL.

Isaiah 5

The prophet tells of a vineyard which was initially planted with the highest quality vine, yet yielded bad grapes even after the best of care. He likened it to God’s people who forsook His Ways and had no regard for Him. Their end was tragedy.

We have a choice on how we live. We’ve been given a great start, but how we end depends upon our response to the Lord.

For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. [2 Cor. 6:2]

Isaiah 3, 4

In chapter four, God declares that He will be a shelter and a canopy for us, shielding us from harsh weather. How much more do we need His relief from the pains and harshness of life. Christ Jesus IS our shelter.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. [1 Peter 5:7]

Isaiah 2

The prophet seems to switch back and forth between millennial scenes and present challenges, but he makes it clear … when God’s judgements are in the earth, silver and gold can’t help you.

Some people think their money controls life’s impact upon them. They feel insulated from pain and tragedy just because they have beaucoup wealth in their bank and investments. Not so.

In spite of his immeasurable financial wealth, Howard Hughes spent his final days both mentally and physically incarcerated by his own contamination terrors and elaborate cleaning rituals. He was SICK. All his money and intelligence did nothing to help him.