No Weapon Formed Against Us Shall Prosper, Every Tongue Against Us In Judgment Shall We Condemn

We ended yesterday’s post with a portion of John 12 telling of the Son of man being lifted, and then telling of hearing the voice of the Father validating the Son’s authority. Some there heard His voice as thunder, and others said it was an angel speaking. We then read it wasn’t for the Son’s sake the voice came but for those standing there. The passage continues on telling of those hearing the voice and seeing the light still not knowing He is the anointed one. This is immediately followed with citations from Isaiah explaining in more depth.

The first of these quotes is Isaiah 53:1 telling of this being the arm of the LORD revealed and asking, “Who has believed our report.” The meaning is the arm of the LORD is revealed to those who understand the report. Isaiah 53 then goes on to tell life springing forth and growing in a dry ground that is seemingly unable to sustain life. In the case of John 12 it is those hearing and seeing (understanding and perceiving) the works and the confirmation springing and growing in a hostile environment (without form, and void – of understanding).

The second citing is from Isaiah 6:9 & 10 and telling of why the people seeing were unable to understand, and hearing were unable to perceive. John 12:31 tells us, just after some did hear and understand, the reason why they were able. “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” The literal translation says, “Now is the decision point (krisis) of this world, and now are the rulers (archon) of this world ejected out (ekballo exo).” It is telling of those who’ve been in control, of what kept the people ignorant, being cast out of their seats of power and out of the house. This is followed by the emphatic statement telling of how this is accomplished, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” This is telling of when all men see him they will be drawn to him, and in doing will have overcome these rulers keeping them in the darkness.

Into yesterday’s posting of the John 12 passage was inserted a few verses from Jeremiah 4 telling of the condition of darkness wrought by these men, and then of the disorder of the earth just prior to light entering and the new creation occurring.

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.

John 3 was also part of yesterday’s post in telling of the light being the light of men and what delivers them from darkness. In verse 19 the description also uses the word krisis, translated “condemnation,” to tell of self-destruction that comes from rejecting what is seen and heard once told it is the light.

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.

Isaiah 6 begins with Isaiah seeing the LORD on His throne, and lifted up, and of His train filling the temple. It is telling of the only way to see the LORD is on His throne and lift up, and what follows seeing this is the revelation of the fullness of His entity.

The second verse then tells of seeing the Seraphims standing, and of seeing six wings, two covering his face (identity), two covering his feet (ways), and two they did fly (moved in the heavens).

The Hebrew word translated “Saraphims” is saraph, meaning a burning one. Saraph is the word translated as “fiery” and “fiery serpent” in Numbers 21:6 & 8. This is the story we discussed yesterday, the first use telling of the “fiery” serpents in the camp whose venom was causing death, and the second use the “fiery serpent” the LORD told Mosses to lift on the pole. Those seeing it were immune to the bite of the serpents of death.

We know this is the pattern the LORD tells us of in John 3 of the Son of man needing to be lifted up. In this we see the fullness of the context when Isaiah 6 goes on to tell of the same Saraph touching his lips and making His word clean. It is telling of his being prepared to give the word of the LORD to those he is sent to, delivering it in the pure form as it was delivered to him from the LORD. Now, read the chapter in this context. The name Uzziah, means the Strength of Yah (Jehovah). It is telling of this strength having died in the kings – those ruling over God’s people.

Isaiah 6
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the Seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
6 Then flew one of the Seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, “Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”
8 Also I HEARD the voice of the LORD, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then said I, “Here am I; send me.”
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear you indeed, but understand not; and see you indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
11 Then said I, LORD, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
12 And the LORD has removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

The chapter ends telling us of the total desolation and of humanity fallen far away in a great forsaking in the midst of the land. This is defining the result of not being any longer able to understand or perceive what is seen or heard.

It then says there will a tenth that will return, and the original texts actually saying this is as if they are trees cut down and burned. It says those returning are as the stumps and the life being in the stump (literally – and the seed holy is in its stump). (Read yesterday’s post and this will be seen in a much fuller context.)

The John 12 quote from Isaiah 53:1 is telling of the root in the dry ground, from which shoots new life. And as Isaiah 7 tells of the wings covering the feet and the face of the Saraph, here we are told of it as if we hid our face from him, rejecting him in not perceiving his identity. It tells of all being as if sheep gone astray, describing the same condition we are told of in the Isaiah 7 description of humanity having fallen far away from knowing the LORD.

Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 54
1 Sing, O barren, you that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, says the LORD.
2 Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes;
3 For you shall break forth on the right hand and on the left; and your seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 Fear not; for you shall not be ashamed: neither be you confounded; for you shall not be put to shame: for you shall forget the shame of your youth, and shall not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.
5 For your Maker is your husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For the LORD has called you as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when you were refused, says your God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, saith the LORD your Redeemer.
9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with you, nor rebuke you.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, says the LORD that has mercy on you.
11 O you afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones with fair colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make your windows of agates, and your gates of carbuncles, and all your borders of pleasant stones.
13 And all your children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness shall you be established: you shall be far from oppression; for you shall not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near you.
15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against you shall fall for your sake.
16 Behold, I have created the smith that blows the coals in the fire, and that brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD.