ziggy88 Loc: quincy illinois 62301

In A Nutshell
By Dave Hubley
Published on: February 6, 2024
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
Feb. 7, 2024


In the sixth chapter of the Book of Isaiah, the prophet received a vision, and his exposure to the Glory of the Lord of Hosts exposed the stark reality of his sin and iniquity to him.

When confronted with the Holiness of the One True God, he immediately confesses:

“Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).

His acknowledgement and confession of his sin results in him being cleansed. He is told that his “iniquity has been removed and his sin atoned for” (v7).

This cleansing results in the Lord accepting him as a messenger when Isaiah volunteers to serve the Lord by delivering a message to His people Israel:

“Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (V9-10).

“Then I asked: ‘How long, O Lord?’ And He replied: Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged, until the LORD has driven men far away and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land” (v11-13).

This message (prophesy in reality) was dutifully delivered by Isaiah as well as many wonderful prophetic messages about the coming Messiah (see Isaiah Chapters 9:2-7 and 52:7-15 through 53:1-12).

2,700+/- years after Isaiah was tasked with this message, the world responds in the same way to the Gospel message, and the result will be the same as it was then: Rejection, disbelief, indifference, denial, rebellion, and the list of negatives go on.

Now that we have arrived in 2024, let’s unpack a few things from these Scriptures and see what, if anything, has changed.

The first is: If an individual is determined to deny the Truth of God’s Word, likely no amount of empirical evidence, no matter how indisputable it might be, will change their mind. 2+2 will not be 4 if they have determined that it could also be 5, etc.

This is not an arrogant statement by me but a Scriptural Truth.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

I would say to anyone who has not received God’s Son as Savior, and that may read this article: read on! Perhaps you do not realize that your rebellious attitude may have a few cracks in it. If it does, then God will surely seek to bring you to the living proof of His love for you in Jesus Christ.

The below statements are made in consideration of the possibility that the reader might possess a modicum of spiritual awareness that can lead to Salvation.

Perhaps you are not so much the “natural man” that you can’t be reached.

We know that, by God’s own Word, He is from everlasting to everlasting, and He does not change. “For I, the LORD, do not change” (Malachi 3:6a).

We know that from the beginning of creation, God has determined the future and that current events unfolding in real-time prove that fact every day.

“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

He has also made it clear that Jews and Gentiles ultimately will share equally in the blessings of the Gospel and the Glory of Jesus Christ.

“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).

He has also made it clear that all, Jews and Gentiles, will be made one for eternity.

“He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility” (Ephesians 2:15-16). Emphasis by me.

In consideration of these realities of the Word of God, let’s examine the verses from Isaiah 6 in the light of present-day circumstances.

The message given to the Hebrews in (Isaiah 6:9-11) can easily be applied to the world today. How long has the Word of God been available in its present form in almost every language, yet it is largely ignored or disbelieved by a major percentage of the earth’s population?
In many “Christian” churches in the world today, the pews are filled with those who are “ever hearing but never perceiving” and whose hearts are calloused and being hardened by many of them to ignore the clear teaching of prophecy.
God’s answer to Isaiah’s question: “How Long, Oh Lord?” conveys the same sadness that Jesus expressed over the future of Jerusalem:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:37-38a). Emphasis added by me.

The world of Gentile nations, as well as present-day Israel, will largely continue to be unwilling to listen just as ancient Israel was, even to the same end: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged, until the LORD has driven men far away and the land is utterly forsaken.”

Thus, Isaiah 6:11-13, in harmony with the judgments of the Book of Revelation, Chapters 4:1- 20:15, indicates that the world of men, who deny the Lord Jesus Christ, and instead place their vain hope and misplaced trust in he who will turn out to be the antichrist, offers no real hope at all.

In a nutshell: who does this message contained in the Book of Isaiah, really apply to, and what has changed since these prophecies were delivered by Isaiah?

Rejection of God and His Son Jesus, rebellion, mockery, and depravity have exponentially increased and have now attained horrifying levels.
Conditions defined by the Word of God by Jesus Himself in (Matthew 24:4-7), as well as the Apostle Paul in the Book of 2 Timothy 3:1-5, have become obvious and are everyday occurrences today.
In short, things have deteriorated and continue at an ever-increasing rate.

These conditions will cause the Lord to execute the judgments of Revelation 4:1-20:15 against the entire world.

The mirroring messages of judgment shared by Isaiah 6 (general) and Revelation 4:1–20:15 (detailed) share a common truth: that mankind will continue in worsening rebellion and rejection of God’s plan of Salvation in Jesus Christ for the same reasons that the Book of Genesis recorded prior to the flood, and that rejection will bring about God’s judgment again, this time for the final time.

Now to the crux of this article.

You do not have to live in the hopeless state of those who refuse to accept the Truth of the Word of God.

One small example of the promise of hope, while surrounded by apparent hopelessness, is planted by the Spirit of God in the short Book of Titus.

“In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2). Emphasis added by me.

“Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22).

The Bible, the Word of God, is the only source of predictive future prophecy that has never failed to come to pass in its proper time with 100% accuracy.

Could anyone but He who controls the future accomplish this? El Shaddai: God Almighty?

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

You can be included in His promised future and hope.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Emphasis added by me.

“Anyone,” Jesus says. Unlike man, God means what He says and always keeps His Word.

Set aside your fear. Open your door and Live.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.
God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.
If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

XXX Loc: Somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon

Thank-you Ziggy. A very worthy read.