Continuing on with understanding the methods that have brought humanity to its current state of confusion and hopelessness. In the previous post we again saw this as the directly connected result of being led with theory and opinions rather than by logic and fact. In previous posts we have seen this condition of confusion and emptiness defined from the identical Hebrew words translated as the earth becoming, “without form, and void,” telling the creation story in Genesis 1:2, and in Jeremiah 4 defining a world without knowledge and this disorder resulting.
Jeremiah 4 precedes its description with telling of those who are “as keepers of a field” being against the people of God, and of these people having rebelled against God into ignorance that has allowed the decline. “17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she has been rebellious against Me, says the LORD. 18 Your way and your doings have procured these things unto you; this is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reached unto your heart [became the shallow and unsure foundation of your reasoning mind].
What follows is breaking silence with what is as if the sound of the trumpet, the alarm signifying war, which is the LORD’s coming with His immutable knowledge combating the condition of ignorance and its result. “19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 For My people is foolish, they have not known Me; they are foolish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.”
This takes us again to Matthew 24, and the “sign,” of the Son of man coming, mentioned in verse 30. We see in the verse following this is the LORD gathering us to Himself by His angels, with the same sound of the trumpet. These verses tell of His coming with the “sign” in heaven, and then the angels gathering us from one end of heaven to the other.
The basic logic tells us those being gathered are on the earth, therefore the heaven being mentioned is the earth, with its condition now changed to make it as is heaven, wherein the LORD’s will is done. We know the angels are those who receive God’s message directly from Him and deliver it in unaltered form and in doing the LORD makes His will known.
The proper ordering needed for understanding is: the sign is seen in heaven, this being the LORD’s will made known, and what follows is our being taken from one extreme of heaven to the other as His will is done in the earth as it is in heaven. Those taken from one extreme of mental stupor and sleeping but still God’s, to the other extreme of fully understanding God’s will and doing it, are defined as the elect of God. The next verse then describes this as the sign of the branch shooting forth new life.
Matthew 24
28 For where-so-ever the carcass [seemingly dead stump] is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun [church government] be darkened, and the moon [civil government] shall not give her light, and the stars [God’s people in their fixed position] shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and shoots forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Truly I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Yesterday we looked at this passage in this same context telling of life shooting forth from what is seen as dead. We also looked at Isaiah 11 and its coinciding perspective. The chapter begins with very clearly telling of the life that shoots forth as knowledge and understanding the LORD gives to those He chooses to put His spirit upon, in other words those He elects to rest His Spirit upon. This is telling of God choosing who is baptized/anointed with the Holy Spirit and with His Holy Fire (it isn’t by demand).
Isaiah 11:9 tells of this day being when, “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” The next verse tells of this life shooting forth from sleep and standing as an “ensign.” What follows is describing the “remnant” being gathered to the LORD as they are freed from the confusion of their oppression. It uses Israel and Judah to describe all God’s people being gathered to the root of Jessie, as they were to David. “12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
Isaiah 11
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp [serpent], and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den [viper’s den].
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry-shod.
16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
The Hebrew word nec translated “ensign” here twice in Isaiah 11:10 & 12 is the same word rendered “standard” in Jeremiah 4:6 & 21.
From Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Strong’s #5251: nec (pronounced nace) from 5264; a flag; also a sail; by implication, a flagstaff; generally a signal; figuratively, a token:–banner, pole, sail, (en-)sign, standard.
The word is used twenty times in a wide verity of translations. It is first used in Numbers 21:8 & 9 to tell of the “pole” upon which the serpent of brass was raised. If you will remember, it tells of serpents being among the people and the LORD responded by telling Moses to raise up a brass serpent on a pole, and when the serpents that had been causing death in the camp struck a man, if he looked to the serpent on the pole, the bite wouldn’t have any effect.
These are the same sign with the same effect. The Son of man must be lifted up! (See Isaiah 11:8 & 9 above)
It is also what the LORD speaks of as a must in John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:” Prior to this statement the LORD has just told Nicodemus of the need to be born again (the need for new life to shoot forth from what now lay dormant in us).
John 3
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Are you a master [teacher] of Israel, and know not these things?
11 Truly, truly, I say unto you, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man have ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
This ensign that must be lifted is then in much further detail spoken of in Isaiah 13:2 where it is translated as “banner.” Here the chapter begins with Isaiah’s first mention of “Babylon” and this being the burden of it. The Hebrew word translated “burden” is massa’, meaning a prophecy of doom, and as we know Babylon means and is used to epitomize a reign of confusion. The confusion is of a language/discourse that has become without re-cognizable form, and void of any meaning (babble).
Here again we see the armies gather to battle from the ends of heaven, after they have looked to the “banner” and become unaffected by the confusion. “2 Lift you up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.”
Isaiah 13
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift you up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts musters the host of the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl you; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man takes up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
John 12
27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
28 Father, glorify your name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spoke to him.
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abides for ever: and how say you, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walks in darkness knows not whither he goes.
[Jeremiah 4:21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 For My people is foolish, they have not known Me; they are foolish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.]
36 While you have light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light. These things spoke Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38 That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, LORD, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again,
40 He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.
42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
