ISAIAH LESSON 66


     We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 57:1 "The righteous
perisheth, and no man layeth [it] to heart: and merciful men [are]
taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the
evil [to come]."

     One of the most vivid examples of God removing someone from the
earth is Enoch. Look, with me, at the following Scripture that shows
that. Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for
God took him."  Another example of this is when Elijah was carried to
heaven in a whirlwind accompanied by a chariot of fire. II Kings 2:11
"And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold,
[there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted
them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
Sometimes God removes someone from the earth, because they have
greatly pleased Him, and He does not want any more problems for them.
Other times people, like Jezebel, kill people who are living for God.
We should not grieve for those who are killed, because they take a
stand for Jesus. This life is not the end. There is a glorious life
awaiting those who live for God.

     Isaiah 57:2 "He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their
beds, [each one] walking [in] his uprightness."

     We know there will come a time when the believers in Christ will
go to be with the Lord in heaven. Those left here on the earth will
face the wrath of God. I Thessalonians "4:16 For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first:" I Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which are alive [and]
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  This is
a time of peace which only the Lord can give, and it is for all the
believers in Christ.

     Isaiah 57:3  "But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the
seed of the adulterer and the whore."

     Notice the word "but" here. This indicates that the peace spoken
of, in verse 2, is not for this group of people. The sad thing is that
some of the Israelites had fallen into idolatry. Usually this type of
reprimand is to get the people to change. The whoredom, spoken of
here, can be physical whoredom {adultery}, or spiritual adultery.
Sorcery has to do with spiritual adultery.

     Isaiah 57:4 "Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom
make ye a wide mouth, [and] draw out the tongue? [are] ye not children
of transgression, a seed of falsehood,"

     The idolatrous then, and the worldly people today, make fun of
those who truly love God. False gods are liars. Those who worship
false gods would be classified as children of transgression, and seed
of falsehood. They may criticize the believers now, but there is
coming a day when they will wish they were a believer. All stand
before God in judgement. Those, who worship false gods, will wind up
in hell.

     Isaiah 57:5 "Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green
tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the
rocks?"

     Some who worshipped false gods then, practiced human sacrifice of
children.  We are no better, the Satanist of today have human
sacrifice of children, as well. The reference to the "green trees",
here, is, possibly, speaking of some of their cults that met in
groves.  This cult was well known for sacrificing children. Moloch was
the false god they sacrificed children to.

     Isaiah 57:6 "Among the smooth [stones] of the stream [is] thy
portion; they, they [are] thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a
drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive
comfort in these?"

     Just as the Nile River in Egypt was worshipped by the Egyptians,
some of the people here had begun to falsely worship even the stones
in the river. They had poured their offerings in the water, over these
stones. I have said it over and over, anything you can see with your
eyes, is not to be worshipped. It is part of creation. We are not to
worship creation, but the God who is Creator of it all.

     Isaiah 57:7 "Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy
bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice."

     This is speaking of the worship in high places, which God had
forbidden.

     Isaiah 57:8 "Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up
thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered [thyself to another] than
me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee [a
covenant] with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest [it]."

     Many of the Israelites had begun to worship false gods in
addition to worshipping Jehovah. It was as if they were covering every
side. They did not truly know who to worship. They worshipped false
gods to be sure they worshipped the right god. There is but One God,
and He alone should be worshipped. Israel should know this better than
anyone else. God had proved over and over that these false gods were
not god.

     Isaiah 57:9 "And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and
didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off,
and didst debase [thyself even] unto hell."

     We see in this, that these Israelites had no confidence in God.
They went to earthly kings to help them. From past experience they
should have known that all they had to do was repent of their evil
ways, and call out to God, and He would help them. The sad thing about
all of this is that they actually debased God in the sight of these
evil countries. When they went to others for help, it was as if they
were saying God was not strong enough to help them.

     Isaiah 57:10 "Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; [yet]
saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine
hand; therefore thou wast not grieved."

     The sad thing about Israel is that they found no hope in these
earthly rulers. They were so proud that they did not, even then, come
to God and ask for His help. Some of us, even today, hesitate to go to
God with our problems. We try to work them out by ourselves, and that
really does not work. We have no power within ourselves, except what
the Lord fills us with. Pride goeth before a fall.

     Isaiah 57:11 "And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that
thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid [it] to thy
heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?"

     We can see from the 2 Scriptures that follow, we are to fear the
Lord and Him only. Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD [is] the
beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his
commandments]: his praise endureth for ever." Proverbs 9:10 "The fear
of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the
holy [is] understanding."  To fear the world and its people is a sin.
To be fearful is ranked with the unbelieving. Revelation 21:8 "But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
the second death." Fear of God is the only fear allowed, any other
fear is the opposite of faith. These Israelites had feared the people
around them more than they feared God. They had actually taken up
idolatry, because of their fear of the world.

     Isaiah 57:13  "When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee;
but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take [them]: but
he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall
inherit my holy mountain;"

     To fear the world is to deny the Lord. All the false gods in the
world cannot help at all. An idol is a nothing. They are helpless. If
you depend on a nothing, you will get no help. We see another message
in the verse above beginning with the word "but". It is the opposite.
Psalms 4:5 "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust
in the LORD."  When all else fails, God will not let you down. He is
our very present help in trouble. Psalms 46:1 "{To the chief Musician
for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.} God [is] our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble."  Those who have faith in
the Lord are like faithful Abraham. Their faith is counted unto them
for righteousness. All, who have faith in the Lord, will inherit
eternal life and, also, will dwell in the Lord's holy mountain.

     Isaiah 57:14 "And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the
way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people."

     Jesus Christ is the Way. When we follow Him, we will have an open
door to heaven and eternity. These Hebrews found the way open to
Jerusalem, because God opened the way.

     Isaiah 57:15 "For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and
holy [place], with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones."

     The first thing a person must do to be saved, is to realize they
need a Saviour. God has no time schedule. He dwells in eternity. Where
He is, there is one eternal day. Not only does He dwell in a high and
lifted up place, but He is the High and Lifted up One. He is Creator
God. He is Almighty God. He is omnipresent, He is omniscience. He is
omnipotent. There is none above Him. He is All in All. Those of us,
who recognize Him as our Saviour and Lord and are of an humble heart,
will dwell with Him. Revelation 7:13 "And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and
whence came they?"  Revelation 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb."  Revelation 7:15 "Therefore are they before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."

     Isaiah 57:16 "For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be
always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls
[which] I have made."

     God will not always be angry with His people. All have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. All deserve to die. God sent His Son,
while we were yet in sin. God made a plan whereby man could be saved.
The wages of sin is death. The payment for sin is blood. Jesus gave
His blood on the cross to abolish our sin, that we might receive His
righteousness and be saved. We must believe in His name, and that He
paid the price for us. There is safety in accepting His name. God sent
Jesus so that all of His creatures would not die. Jesus is our Way and
our Life.

     Isaiah 57:17 "For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth,
and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in
the way of his heart."

     One of the 10 commandments says, Thou shalt not covet. God would
not overlook their covetousness. Not only did Judah covet, but it was
the desire of their hearts to continue this evil. This angered God and
this is one of the main reasons they were captives.

     Isaiah 57:18 "I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will
lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners."

     Mourners are those who are grief stricken. God is a forgiving
God.  When they repent and change their ways, He forgives them. God is
the Great Shepherd, who nudges the wandering sheep back into the fold.
If they will follow Him, He will give them forgiveness and rest.

     Isaiah 57:19 "I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to
[him that is] far off, and to [him that is] near, saith the LORD; and
I will heal him."

     Those that are far off are the Gentiles, and those near are the
Jews. The peace comes from God, and not from man. Jesus is King of
Peace.

     Isaiah 57:20 "But the wicked [are] like the troubled sea, when it
cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt."

     The wicked are those who reject the peace that only God can
bring. They are so evil, they will not settle down long enough to
receive this peace of God. They are restless and fearful. They are
constantly fearing the things that are coming upon the earth.

     Isaiah 57:21 "[There is] no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."

     In this world, there is no peace. The only peace is the peace
that the believers have within them.





























                          Isaiah 66 Questions


1.  The righteous perisheth, and no man _________ it to _________.
2.  The righteous is taken away from the __________ to come.
3.  Who does the author believe to be one of the most vivid examples
    of God removing a righteous person from the earth?
4.  Quote Genesis chapter 5 verse 24.
5.  Who is another example of the same thing?
6.  Who killed many of the people living for God?
7.  Why should we not grieve for those who died for their faith?
8.  Quote 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16 and 17.
9.  In verse 3, What one word shows there is a great change?
10. What does sorcery have to do with?
11. Who do the worldly people today, make fun of?
12. What will happen to those who worship false gods?
13. What did some of the people worshipping false gods do that
    Satanist do today?
14. Why were the "green trees" mentioned in verse 5?
15. What had some of the people begun to worship {verse 6}?
16. What is verse 7 speaking of?
17. Why did many Israelites take up the worship of false gods?
18. Who had the Israelites gone to for help, instead of going to God?
19. Why did they not ask for God's help?
20. Quote Psalms chapter 111 verse 10.
21. Quote Proverbs chapter 9 verse 10.
22. To be fearful is ranked with ______________.
23. What is the only fear allowed?
24. Why had they taken up idolatry?
25. He that puts his trust in God, shall possess the _________.
26. Quote Psalms chapter 46 verse 1.
27. Who are those who have faith like?
28. Who is the Way?
29. Who inhabiteth eternity?
30. His name is ________.
31. What is the first thing a person must do to be saved?
32. What are some of the things God is?
33. Where do we find the Scriptures that say the Christians are in
    heaven with God?
34. What was the payment for our sin?
35. What sin had they committed in verse 17?
36. Mourners are those who are __________ ___________.
37. Who are those who are far off in verse 19?
38. The wicked are like the ____________ ______.
39. In this world, there is no ________.
40. What is the only peace?