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725. Bible Study: Isaiah 34 & 35 (Return of Jesus: Judgement and Salvation) · Faith by annm2705

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Today we'll read chapter 34 and 35 from the book of Isaiah.
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But first, let's pray. Dear God, please give us wisdom
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and insight as we read through this and pay attention to things
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you want us to know. We ask for this in Jesus name,
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Amen. Come near you nations and
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listen. Pay attention you people.
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Let the earth hear and all that is in it, the world and all that
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comes out of it. The Lord is angry with all
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nations. His wrath is on all their
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armies. He will totally destroy them.
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He will give them over to slaughter.
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Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will sink.
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The mountains will be soaked with their blood.
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So I would say that this chapter applies to every single one of
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us on the earth because it says let the earth hear talks about
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the world. It says the Lord is angry with
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all nations. His wrath is on all their
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armies. So there's no one who is not
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included in this. In verse 8, then it says all the
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stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled
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up like a scroll. All the starry host will fall
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like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from
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the fig tree. Now when that is those I guess
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verse 4 what came to mind was the return of Jesus.
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And again this is another chapter of Isaiah that really
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talks about Jesus. So I will read the reason why I
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believe it is talking about Jesus in Revelation chapter 6
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verse 13 it says and the stars in the sky fell to earth as figs
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drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
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So this is actually I'll start at verse 12.
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I watched as he opened the 6th seal.
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There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like
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sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and
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the stars in the sky fell to the earth as figs dropped from a fig
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tree when shaken by a strong wind.
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The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and
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every mountain and island was removed from its place.
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Then the kings of the earth, the Princess, the generals, the
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rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid
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in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
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They called to the mountains in the rocks fall on us, and hide
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us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the
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wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath
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has come, and who can withstand it?
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So it very much sounds like the same thing in Isaiah.
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All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled
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up like a scroll. And that's exactly what
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Revelation 614 says. The heavens receded like a
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scroll being rolled up. All the starry hosts will fall.
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And it talks about the well, the starry hosts like in the in
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Revelation, the stars fell to the earth.
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Those, the stars in Revelation are very are symbolic of angels
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and that's where we get fallen angels because they fell to the
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earth. And so there is I guess a theory
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or an interpretation of this. And that's what I currently
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believe is that there are fallen angels that will actually fall
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at that point and come to earth and implement God's wrath.
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Remember, just like in the Passover when God had the Angel
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of death going about causing death to all of the first born
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in Egypt, but they passed over because God, they were marked
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with the blood of the Lamb. So the Angel of death passed
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over that. And it's kind of interesting,
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the Angel of death when you think about it, because it's
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said that Satan has the power over death until Jesus died on
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the cross where he broke that. So this is all like, again, it's
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like Satan's under the control of God, but he is, you know,
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he's struggling with authority and God can use, as he's done in
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the past, someone's will to accomplish his purpose.
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So if Satan wants to destroy, so he can use Satan to destroy, you
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know, according to God's purpose because God is ultimately going
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to destroy evil. So anyway, then there's other
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verses in in the book as well. Actually, one thing I wanted to
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talk about was actually the word for the starry host.
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What it talks about. It's called sava Sava.
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That's the that's the word. And the definition is that which
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goes forth army war warfare host.
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So when it says all the starry host will fall, it very much
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seems like this is like a host of angels, but it's a war time
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that's happening and that makes sense with the the wrath of God.
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And then additionally in the Book of Revelation in chapter 12
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it talks about the dragon. Its tail swept 1/3 of the stars
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out of the sky and flung them to earth.
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The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give
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birth. The woman is symbolic of Israel
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so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.
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So it again, just there's there's a repetition of this and
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then in let's see Matthew 24 verse 29, this is Jesus talking,
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he said immediately after the distress of those days.
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So this is when the Antichrist is revealed and he begins his
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torment on everything. And I can go back and prove that
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it says immediately after the distress of this days, the sun
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will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars
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will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
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So just before that, what causes the distress is let's see, I'm
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going back to what verse it is that causes the distress.
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So it it in Matthew 2415, it says so when you see standing in
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the holy place, the abomination that causes desolation spoken of
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through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand.
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Basically after that it just says everybody flee.
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And then in verse 21 it says for then there will be great
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distress unequalled from the beginning of the world until now
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and never to be equaled again. And then in 20, verse 29, it
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says immediately after the distress of those days, the sun
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will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, The
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stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be
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shaken. So that's why I believe that
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because Jesus said that the Antichrist is going to be
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revealed, there's going to be great distress immediately after
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that. The sun's going to be dark and
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the moon will not give its light.
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All those details. Now Matthew 24 verse 30 says
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then will appear the Son of man in heaven, meaning Jesus, and
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then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see
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the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and
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glory. And he will send his angels with
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a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the
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four winds from one end of the heavens to the other.
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So that's when Jesus returns then.
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And then also in Mark 13 it says, But in those days
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following that distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will
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not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the
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heavenly bodies will be shaken at that time.
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At that time, people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
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with great power and glory, and he will send his angels and
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gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the
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earth, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the
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heavens. So that's what Mark says.
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And then in Luke chapter 21 verses 25 through 28, it says
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there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars on the earth.
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The nations will be in anguish and purple city at the roaring
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and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror,
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apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly
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bodies will be shaken at that time.
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They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and
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great glory. When these things begin to take
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place, stand up and lift up your heads because your redemption is
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drawing near. So that gives us several
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different. Let's see.
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And then I also had that was Luke 21 and I also wrote down
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Luke 17. I don't know why I had that one.
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So I'll, I'll have to look that one up because I didn't have it
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called so Luke 17. I don't know why I wrote that
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one down and it was verse 20. I don't know.
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OK, I can read this 20 through 37.
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OK, I will read this then. The coming of the Kingdom of
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God. Once on being asked by the
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Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied,
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The coming of the Kingdom of God is not something that can be
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observed, nor will people say here it is or there it is,
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because the Kingdom of God is in your midst.
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Then he said to his disciples, The time is coming when you will
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long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not
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see it. People will tell you there He is
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or here He is. Do no, do not go running on
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after them, for the Son of Man in His day will be like
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lightning which flashes and lights up the sky from one end
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to the other. But first He must suffer many
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things and be rejected by this generation.
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Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days
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of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking,
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marrying, and being given in marriage up until the day Noah
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entered the ark. Then the flood came and
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destroyed them all. It will be the same in the IT
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was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking,
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buying and selling, planting and building.
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But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from
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heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the
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day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, no one who who is
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on the rooftop with possessions inside should go down to get
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them. Likewise, no one in the field
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should go back for anything. Remember lots wife well, she I'm
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this is not in this part of the scripture, but Lot's wife turned
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back and the Angel told her don't turn back, just keep
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going. But she disobeyed and then she
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lost her life. It said.
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It said she became a pillar of salt.
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She didn't make it out of Sodom and Gomorrah.
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She was destroyed with everything else.
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Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses
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their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night, two
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people will be in one bed, one will be taken and the other
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left. Two women will be grinding grain
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together. One will be taken and the other
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left. Where, Lord?
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They asked. He replied.
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Where? Where?
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There is a dead body. There the vultures will gather.
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So it's, yeah, there's a lot of different things about the
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returning of Jesus. But I really do think when the
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heavens rolled up like a squirrel and the starry host
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fall, there's multiple entries in Scripture that it talks about
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this is when Jesus returns. So I'll continue Now.
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My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens sea.
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It descends in judgement on Edom.
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Edom is modern day Jordan. And I thought this was very
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interesting because Edom is specifically called out here.
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And if this is the return of Jesus, I mean, right now Jordan
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is not necessarily it at war with Israel, but something
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apparently will happen before Jesus returns that Jesus is
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coming back in judgement on Edom.
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And I will, oh, there's a few verses on that too that support
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that because it's I'll read this section first.
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The people I have totally destroyed the sword of the Lord
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is bathed in blood. It is covered with fat, the
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blood of lambs and goats, far fat from the kidneys of Rams.
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For the Lord has a sacrifice in Basra and a great slaughter in
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the land of Edom. And the wild oxen will fall with
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them, the bull calves and the great bulls.
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Their land will be drenched with blood, and the dust will be
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soaked with fat. And there are multiple verses in
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other parts of the book that talk about this in Isaiah
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chapter 63, OK, it's the same prophet, but he said, who is
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this coming from? Edom, from Basra with his
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garments stained Crimson. Again, this is a reference to
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Jesus. Who is this robed in splendor,
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striding toward in the greatness of his strength.
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It is I proclaiming victory, mighty to save.
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So Isaiah talks about Jesus returning from Basra with his
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robe stained, his garment stained Crimson or red.
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So that also matches up with this.
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And then in Jeremiah chapter 49, verse 13, it says, I swear by
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myself, declares the Lord, that Basra will become a rune and a
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curse, an object of horror and reproach, and all of its towns
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will be in ruins forever. And then Jeremiah 49, verse 22,
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it says, look, an eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading
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its wings over Basra. In that day, the hearts of
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Edom's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
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A lot of times it seems like the woman in labor is end times
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related. And I mean from lots of
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descriptions throughout the Bible and then in I think it's
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Revelation 19, I have to look that one up, Revelation 19,
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verse 13. This is when it's talking about
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Jesus, and it says he is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and
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his name is the word of God. This is when he returns back.
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I saw heaven standing wide open, and there before me was a White
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Horse whose writer is called faithful and true.
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With justice He judges and wages war.
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His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.
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He has a name written on him that no one but he, no one knows
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but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped
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in blood, and his name is the word of God.
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The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white
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horses, and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
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Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with to strike down
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the nation's. He will rule them with an iron
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scepter. He treads the winepress of the
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fury of the wrath of God Almighty, and on his robe and on
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his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
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So again, these are these are they all kind of tie together.
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And so there must be something that happens with Jordan Basra
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and it calls Jesus to that place.
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For the Lord has a day of vengeance.
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Now I'm going back to Isaiah chapter 34, verse 8.
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For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of
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retribution. So I don't know if that means
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it's going to last for a year or if it means it's just saying a
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specific year. I'm not sure, because it says
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the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution to uphold
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Zion's cause. Edom's streams will be turned
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into pitch, her dust into burning sulphur.
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Her land will become blazing pitch.
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It will not be quenched day or night, as smoke will rise
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forever from generation to generation.
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It will lie desolate. No one will ever pass through it
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again. The desert owl and the screech
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owl will possess it. The great owl and the Raven will
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nest there. God will stretch out over Edom,
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the measuring line of chaos and the plum line of desolation.
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Her nobles will have nothing where there used to be called a
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Kingdom, and her Princess will vanish away.
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Thorns will overrun her, citadels, nettles and brambles
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her strongholds. She will become a haunt for
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jackals, a home for owls. Desert creatures will meet with
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hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other there.
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The night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves
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places of rest. The owl will nest there and lay
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eggs. She will hatch them and care for
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her young under the shadow of her wings.
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There also the Falcons will gather, each with its mate, look
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in the scroll of what the Lord of the Lord and read.
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None of these will be missing. Not one will lack her mate for
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in its mouth. For it is his mouth that has
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given the order, and his spirit will gather them together.
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He allots their portions. His hand distributes them by
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measure. They will possess it forever.
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They will dwell there from generation to generation.
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I found it interesting that all the creatures that are talked
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about are the ones that were referred to as unclean animals
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in the book of Leviticus. Now let's go into 35, because
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that's a lot better here. The desert and the parched land
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will be glad. The wilderness will rejoice and
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blossom like the crocus. It will burst into bloom.
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It will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
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The glory of Lebanon will be given to it.
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The splendor of Carmel and Sharon will.
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They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
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Strengthen the feeble hands, study the knees that give way,
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Say to to those whose with fearful hearts be strong.
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Do not fear, your God will come. He will come with vengeance,
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with divine retribution. He will come to save you.
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Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the
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deaf deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a
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deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.
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Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the
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desert. The burning sand will become a
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pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs in the haunts
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where jackals once lay. Grass and reeds and papyrus will
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grow, and a highway will be there.
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It will be called the Way of Holiness.
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It will be for those who walk on that way.
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The unclean will not journey on it.
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Wicked fools will not go about it.
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No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast.
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They will not be found there, but only the redeemed will walk
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there. And those the Lord has rescued
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will return. They will enter Zion with
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singing. Everlasting joy will crown their
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heads. Gladness and joy will overtake
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them and sorrow and and sighing will flee away.
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So this is pretty much what it's what is said that you know,
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there's going to be a restoration that Jesus will
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bring. And it's interesting that this
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is called the way of holiness and no one will walk on that
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way. And Jesus has said I am the way,
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the truth, the life, and no one comes to the Father except
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through me. So I think that's interesting
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too, that again, even that refers to Jesus and all of these
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things that they were talking about.
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When the blind, the eyes of the blind are opened, that's when
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the spiritual blindness, they will actually realize that Jesus
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is Lord. And even though they denied him,
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those who denied him like ancestors who denied him on the
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on the cross and didn't believe he was and perpetuated that that
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story that he wasn't the son of God, they will all realize that
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oh wow, he is the Son of God. This is Jesus.
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And that's when he returns. And it was written about in 700
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ish BC. In the book of Isaiah.
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Chapters 34 and 35 are talking about this.
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So I will, that's all I have to say.
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I will read what the study Bible says for these two chapters and
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then conclude this one. So why is God always angry with
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all nations? God anger.
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God's anger targets all nations that refuse to honor Him,
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especially those that show hostility to His people.
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The armies of these nations bear the brunt of God's wrath,
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probably because a nation's military so often reflects its
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self-sufficiency and deep seated arrogance.
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What does this poetic language describe?
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It pictures the extent of God's judgment affecting heaven as
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well as earth. Though it can be taken literal.
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Though it can be taken literally, for God can do things
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in ways we cannot comprehend. It is also possible that such
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language, which is typical of divine judgment, is often to be
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understood symbolically. The future judge judgment is
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also known as the Day of the Lord, who was Edom Although this
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was a specific nation here it symbolized all the enemies of
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God and his people. This isn't surprising in light
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of the fact that as early as the entry of Israel into Canaan,
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Edom opposed God's plan, and the hostility resulted in the
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Edomites of appropriating territory from Judah during the
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reign of Ahaz and assisting Babylon in sacking Jerusalem.
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Why was the sword of the Lord covered with fat?
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The sword represents God's judgement against the people of
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enemy nations, many of whom were living in luxury and ease.
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Fast symbolize excess, having more than what was needed.
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It's a metaphor for enjoying comfortable circumstances.
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That was also considered the choice part of the meal, and in
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some cases it was completely burned up as an offering of 1's
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best to God. Therefore, God's judgment would
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extend to all the people of enemy nations, even to the cream
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of the crop, those who were well off and well protected.
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No enemy would be spared. Did this really happen to Edom?
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The language of these verses is reminiscent of the destruction
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of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 and Jeremiah chapter 49,
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verses 17 through 18 makes this comparison explicitly.
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We shouldn't take these images too literal, since a land of
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burning sulfur and blazing pitch couldn't support even the most
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wild of animals. The region at the South end of
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the Dead Sea, where Edom was located, is a barren land where
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sulphur and pitch deposits can be found.
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This may be another reason why Edom was chosen to represent the
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destruction of the nation's its territory was largely desert and
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nearly uninhabitable. What does the presence of this
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of these animals mean? To illustrate how inhabitable
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this desert truly was, Isaiah stressed that it would become
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the home of unclean birds and animals.
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There is much discussion about the specific identity of many of
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the creatures listed here, but the general point is clear.
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No human could live there, and if they could, they would want.
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They would not want to. The Creator had reassigned it to
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to inhabitants other than humans.
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What scroll were these people supposed to study?
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Some suggest the scroll was the Book of Life or other parts of
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Isaiah. It's more likely that it refers
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to the scroll containing the prophecy just given against
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Edom. After the destruction of Edom,
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people would read this prophecy and its fulfillment would
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demonstrate God's part in Edom's destruction.
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What did what did blossoms in the desert signify?
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These images are the reverse of the horrors of desolation as the
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desert becomes a garden. Isaiah may have had may have had
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some of the areas of Judah in mind when he wrote this, such as
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the desert regions of the East. It is also possible that the
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metaphor pictured the time the of the Jews returning from
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exile. The ultimate fulfillment will be
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when Christ comes again. When will God come?
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The exact time is not pinpointed, but His coming will
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involve both vengeance or judgment and salvation.
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The ultimate fulfillment of these words is found in the
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Messiah. Jesus fulfilled the descriptions
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of healing given in verses 5 through 6.
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As He Himself explained, His second coming will be will
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fulfill everything in Isaiah from 35 on and will do so for
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all eternity. Was this prophecy fulfilled by
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Jesus? Yes, although there there may be
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more immediate fulfillment, such as Jewish pilgrims marching to
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Zion for an annual festival upon returning from exile.
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Just as the land will be changed, the people themselves
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will undergo A glorious transformation in the Kingdom of
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the Messiah, in the Kingdom of the Messiah, which will be
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ushered in by Jesus Christ. What kind of Hwy. is this?
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Most roads common in Isaiah's day were mere trails that left
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travellers vulnerable to dangers along the way.
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But this highway is completely safe and available only to God's
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redeemed people. It leads to Jerusalem, God's
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holy city, and symbolizes the return of His people to the
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place where He reigns. Zion here referred to heaven
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Throughout the Bible, the concept of Jerusalem or Zion,
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increasingly conveys the idea of heaven.
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Jerusalem was the place on earth where God chose to manifest his
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presence in a special way among his people, and heaven is where
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we'll fully experience God's presence forever.
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But since we can know God's presence now through the Spirit
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of God, who in dwells every believer, the joy depicted here
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is actually available now in considerable measure to any
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Christian. And I think that's the end of
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the questions and answers for that chapter.
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Well, I definitely think this is when Jesus returns and he
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actually restores the land. And at some point, I don't, I
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haven't quite figured out whether it's when Jesus returns
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and restores the land or if it's after the 1000 years where the
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new city of Jerusalem comes down from heaven.
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So, and that's completely different sized.
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It's like half the size of the United States from east to West
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and as tall as it is wide. So completely different than
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anything that we know today. And, and completely, I guess
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heavenly like because it's just the structure of it, the
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condition of it, the levels of it, the materials that are used
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are completely luxurious. That's all.
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That's all I can say about that. So the new heaven or the new
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Jerusalem coming down from heaven is written about in the
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Book of Revelation in chapter 21 or 22.
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So if you want to read more about that, you can find it
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there. But I definitely think this is
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about the return of Jesus and his the wrath of God that will
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happen at that time. So hopefully you'll come back
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and we'll hit Chapter 36 next and see where it goes from here.