Isaiah 29:22-24 mentions "children, the work of my hands,"

 Read what follows that verse.  When we understand our children are from God, we will stand in awe of Him.

“…fill all the world with fruit…” is another one of those passages that seemed highlighted for us today.

Fruit is the result of how we live our lives. Are we bearing good fruit or bad fruit? As Believers we should, of course, bear good fruit. What would happen if Believers filled all the world with good fruit?  That fruit can take many forms. We bear fruit when we witness for Him. We bear fruit when we exercise our spiritual gifts. We bear fruit when we display the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control). How can we fill all the world with good fruit? Easy…spend plenty of time with Jesus!  He has said that He will watch over the fruitful vineyard, water it continually, and guard it continually. 

Isaiah 29:9

By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruitage of the removal of his sin:  When he makes all the altar stones to be like chalk stones crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing.

When the altars of paganism are destroyed, then will guilt be atoned for.  This is one way we heed the warnings of The Harbinger.   Pagan influences within places of worship have so slowly and subtly crept in and the people have become so accustomed to them.  Had it been sudden, it would have been easier to confront and stop.

  

Isaiah 32:12-13 

Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers —

When there is a drought or famine in the land, the crops die, but weeds remain.  We need only to take a look around during drought conditions.  Crops are dying, grass is dying, but weeds are thriving.  So it is when there is a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. Fruitfulness decreases, but sinfulness increases so that the land is overgrown with thorns and briars (false teaching).

What a great promise in Isaiah 32:17-18
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence   forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. 

Any ideas on Eliakim? He was the one chosen to replace Shebna, the steward of King Hezekiah. On Eliakim’s shoulder was placed the key to the house of David. There is another reference to this “key”. It’s found in the book of Revelation.
Rev 3:7
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

It is easy for us today to get caught up in renewal and re-commitment like the people of Hezekiah’s day.  We can soon slip back into the old ways if we are not careful to maintain that renewal and re-commitment. The slipping is so subtle that we might miss it. Isaiah warns the people of this danger.

Isaiah also continues to condemn spiritual leaders who are so consumed with the world that they don’t hear the voice of God. He continues to condemn meaningless worship. What does that look like in our churches today? People go through the motions of ritualistic worship…rituals that are made by men. Our focus becomes the ritual and we neglect to worship Him in the “splendor of his holiness”.

Unfaithfulness doesn't happen overnight, "...a little here, a little there..." .  

"Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."

A person's perception of the Word of God is distorted when the worship is founded on traditions of men.  When this happens, "...we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place."  We hold on to a lie and don't see the truth.  

Isaiah pronounces "Woe..."  to those who let their "cycle of festivals go on."  Can we make an application to the pagan festivals today?

In Isaiah 29:5-8 is a pronouncement against the oppressors.  The description reminds us of "cotton candy" preaching and teaching with no substance.  Woe to you, O destroyer (see Rev 7:11 as to who the destroyer is).

But, as always there is this great promise of restoration and the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the precious cornerstone, that sure foundation.

What prophetic words for today, “For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll…”

If we do not faithfully and frequently communicate with Him, if we do not know Him intimately and personally, His Words are just “words”. They have no meaning for us. We should approach the reading of God’s Word with “holy expectation”.

Today’s reading in Isaiah tells the story of the wrath of God on the Day of the Lord and gives us a glimpse into the Millennial Kingdom. 

We are reminded when reading about the wrath of God about the consequences of disobedience.  Too often when we suffer the consequences, we tend to want to blame somebody else...sometimes we even want to blame God.  It's comparable to a small child who has been repeatedly warned not to touch the hot stove but touches it anyway, then wants to blame the parent who has consistently warned them, or wants to blame the stove.  The wrath of God is the consequence of the sins of the people.
Isaiah 24:6
Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.

“In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below” 
Evil will be destroyed and Satan and his evil angels will be thrown into the Abyss.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." 

This is a great verse to keep in our minds when things around us are not so peaceful.  If we want peace, we keep our thoughts on God and trust in Him.  This keeps us from being shaken by surrounding chaos.

Under the heading ETERNAL DEATH OF THE WICKED, Isaiah 26:14-18 are these words,

"...those departed spirits do not rise."

Contrast those words with these in Isaiah 26:19,

"But your dead will live; their bodies will rise."

Seems to be a contradiction, doesn't it?  Those who are non-believers will appear before the Judgment Seat but will not rise to eternal life.  They only go down to eternal death.  In Isaiah 26:19, those who are believers will also appear before the Judgment Seat, and they will rise to eternal life.

Leviathan is mentioned. In ancient Aramean literature this is a seven-headed monster, an enemy of God and God’s created order of things. How very appropriate as a representative of Satan! Satan is most definitely an enemy of God and according to Hebrew word pictures, Satan is “chaos man”. (chaos as the opposite of order)

Isaiah 35 is a peek into the nature of things in the Millennium, as well as the attitude that should be ours  as the redeemed today.   These conditions are the opposite of a spiritual famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Isa 35:8
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

Imagine walking in that Way, His Way, the Way of Holiness.  Can't we do that today?  Do we have to wait until the Millennium?

What an uplifting reading for today…Hezekiah's reforms. His reforms laid the groundwork for the people to be receptive to Isaiah's message.  Hezekiah started off really well. His early reforms were done quickly too.
"In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them."
Application for today:  Open the doors of our hearts to welcome Him.

Hezekiah restored proper worship and religious observance.  There had been a famine in the land of hearing the Word of the Lord from the kings.  Hezekiah invited all the people of Israel, including the northern tribes.  Most refused, but some joined in the spiritual renewal.  That is so true today.  When spiritual leaders seek to restore proper worship and observances (God's Holy Days - feast days and festivals) only some will join in.  But even though there may be only a few, God will honor that!  And, as in the days of Hezekiah, there will be great joy for those few!
Application for today:  Restore proper worship of Him, honor His Holy Days.

The priests purified the sanctuary and removed everything unclean and then consecrated it. Remember King Ahaz had brought in pagan gods, altars, and high places. If we apply this type of reform to today, how would it look in our churches?
Application for today: Purify our lives.  Remove anything in our lives that pull us away from God.  Repent of our sins.

What would be the pagan influences that have infiltrated our churches today?  If we look at the ways of The Way (the early followers of Jesus), it looks much, much different from the ways we worship today. Read the book of Acts to see how the early followers of Jesus worshiped Him. Read also pages 265-268 in the book These Last Days for how worship will look in the Millennium.

Hezekiah ordered sin offerings for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and for Judah. When the offerings were finished, singing to the Lord began and the whole assembly bowed in worship.
Application for today: Pray that God will forgive our specific sins (blatant and subtle ones, outward ones and inner ones) and to forgive those sins that we may not be aware of.  Then rejoice that we have already been forgiven.  We don't have to offer those animal sacrifices for sin.  Jesus took care of that!

Then Hezekiah did something very significant. He reinstituted observance of Passover. The people responded with great enthusiasm, so much so that they celebrated for an additional week. Sounds like a modern day crusade or revival. "There was great joy in Jerusalem."
Application for today:  Start our own spiritual revival.  Remember His Days.  Then rejoice!

When the celebration was over, the people were motivated to go out into the towns of Judah. They smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars…ALL of them. What a testimony to revival! Couldn't we do that today? What would be some examples of sacred stones and high places?
Application for today: Clean up our own lives and witness to those around us.

The king set the standard, the people followed. What a concept! Spiritual leaders leading spiritually!
The people brought so many freewill offerings (above and beyond the ten percent tax tithe) that the offerings were distributed to fellow priests according to divisions and even given to males three years old who would later enter temple service. Astounding!

Hezekiah listened to the Lord and obeyed. The result…major spiritual reform and renewal.

What would happen to our churches today if a spirit of reform and renewal swept our country, or our church denominations, or our local churches, or individuals?  We can't depend on our spiritual leaders alone. You know it ultimately comes down to the individual; will we be willing to institute reform and renewal in our own lives?

Read carefully the last paragraph in today's reading - 2 Chron. 31:20,21.
Application for today: When we do what is right in the eyes of God, when we are faithful to Him, when we are obedient to the Lord and His commands, when we seek the Lord and work wholeheartedly for Him, we WILL prosper,  And that's a promise!

Oh, boy, here we go again, back into Isaiah. An interesting application from Isaiah…even though Isaiah knew the ultimate outcome...that the nations would bring about the suffering of God’s people, he continued to preach against sin in Judah. Often as Believers we may know that our witness for Him may fall on deaf ears, we should still continue to witness. Our job is to witness, He takes it from there.

Again in Isaiah 13 we have a foreshadowing of a prophecy concerning the Day of the Lord’s wrath.  (see the book These Last Days for explanations concerning the Day of the Lord)The prophecy of the judgment against Babylon is a multi-layered prophecy.  While it is prophetic of the day of the Lord, it was literally fulfilled with the defeat of Babylon.   There is mention made in this chapter about the land being desolate, the stars of heaven and their constellations not showing their light.  They will be obscured because of the heavy smoke from the burning of the earth.

Speaking of the people during the Day of the Lord,
Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor.
The closer to delivery, the more frequent and more intense the labor pains are for a woman in labor.  This is how it will be as time gets closer to the Day of the Lord.
1Th 5:3 
People will say, "We have peace and we are safe." At that time destruction will come to them quickly, like the pains of a woman giving birth. And those people will not escape.

Babylon will never be inhabited again according to Isaiah's prophecies.  Saddam Hussein tried to rebuild but was unsuccessful.  Look what happened to him!

Isaiah gives us a glimpse into Satan’s plans through the king of Babylon. More details concerning Satan are found in Ezekiel 28 .

The Lord gives an admonition through Isaiah in Chapter 21,
"Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees."  and "...let him be alert, fully alert."

This admonition is not just for the nations of Old Testament times.  It is equally relevant today.  If we don't make this personal and relevant, then the Old Testament is just a history book.

Along with a reference to "Babylon fallen" in Isaiah are several in Revelation.

Rev 18:2
With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

Babylon is used in analogy to represent the false church during the last days. Unclean and detestable birds are analogous to false teachers in the church.  Before the false church becomes a haunt for demons and evil spirits, there must first come a “falling away” or a rebellion. The Christian church will become apostate before it becomes the false church.  The seeds of disbelief and unfaithfulness in the church began in Babylon in Nimrod's day. 

II Th 2:3
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

What does this mean for us?  We must be on the alert, prepared, and ready.  The "labor pains" are becoming more frequent and more intense as we near the last days.

Isaiah 34 relates a judgment against Edom.  Prophetically speaking - yet in our future are these words.

"For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause."

One of the Days of the Lord will be a year long.

"Edom's streams will be turned to pitch."

Edom is east of  Israel, a residence today of Muslims and rich in oil.  Is God telling us that Edom will be a desolate waste forever as a reminder, just as Sodom and Gomorrah are?

All of the animals listed in Isaiah 34 in reference to Edom, are scavengers and/or nocturnal.  Is this both symbolic and literal?

What a sad end to King Ahaz. Why is it that so many of the kings gave silver and gold from the temple to their enemies? Does spiritual prostitution come to mind? They were buying earthly favors with God's treasures. 

Corruptions that led to the downfall of King Ahaz;

1. copied an altar of a false god
2. sought guidance from the bronze altar instead of guidance from the Lord
3. took away the Sabbath canopy
4. offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus
5. took away the furnishings from the temple
6. shut the doors of the Lord’s temple
7. set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem
8. built high places in every town in Judah

Any connections for today?  Do the leaders of America try to buy the favors of our enemies?  Do our spiritual leaders copy pagan practices of false gods?  Do we seek guidance from others instead of seeking guidance from the Lord.  Have we taken away the Sabbath covering, the Sabbaths of God's Holy days?  Do we offer "sacrifices" on the altars of paganism?  Do we shut away the Word of the Lord and follow after false gods in other places?  Do we have our own "high places"?

Contrast the corruptions of King Ahaz to his son Hezekiah. Hezekiah removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces Moses’ bronze snake because the Israelites were worshiping the object instead of worshiping God. Hezekiah held fast to the Lord and  did not cease to follow the command the Lord had given Moses. The result? The Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook, until he eventually turned away from God.

Any applications for us?  What might happen if we removed our "high places", smashed our "sacred stones" and cut down our "Asherah poles"?   If we would remove, smash, and cut down everything in our lives that pulls us away from God and follow His commands, would the Lord be with us?  Would we be successful?  Worth a try, wouldn't you say???

Isaiah reminds us that God used their enemies to punish His people.  Then He brought the enemies to justice.  This seems unfair on the part of God.  They were only doing what God allowed them to do.  However, their motives were wicked to begin with.  God is never unfair but He is just!

Oh, so very much in today’s reading that pertain to the last days.

“…dead bodies will send up a stench; the mountains will be soaked with their blood.”
(Armageddon)

Stars dissolved, sky rolled up like a scroll, starry host will fall…all preparations for the new heaven and the new earth. Throughout the entire Bible are many other references.
Rev 6:14
The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
2 Pet 3:12
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

"This is the plan determined for the whole world, !"   Eventually the whole surface of the earth will be destroyed. 
 

 "...destroyed in the night!"  (the day long Day of the Lord)

 See the book, These Last Days for additional information.
 

There is a reference in today's reading about turning to the Holy One of Israel and not looking to the altars (the high places) and Asherah poles.  

Turn back to God and His Holy Days, His feast and festivals and turn away from pagan holidays.  God says the pagan practices of worship are to no avail.  Of course whenever people worship pagan gods they are worshiping in vain.  But, even whenever God's people worship Him on the altars of paganism, their worship of Him is in vain.

There is also a reference to "...some gleanings will remain..."

There will be some in the land who will remain, who will be the remnant.

Then we have this great promise.
Isa 16:5
In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it-- one from the house of David-- one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.

And just in case we wonder who is in control…
Isa 14:24
The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.

What comfort! He is the One in control!