Heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us this evening to be able to come together with brothers and sisters to be able to share, to pray, to provoke one another on toward love and good deeds. We pray that the study of Isaiah, Lord, even though at times it may be confusing, I pray that your heart and your will and your desire, who you are, your glory, all of these things may be revealed, that the more we see of who you are and how you work, that they would instill in us a greater confidence, Lord God, of all the promises that you give.

We pray for your Holy Spirit to lead us, that our hearts may be filled with you, and we ask for your blessing over this time in Jesus' name we pray, amen. So next week is going to be a wrap-up study. So this week there is no homework because we're done with chapter 56, and so we're going to be taking a break, a three-week break after next week.

So next week is just going to be review. We're going to be going over, again, all of it, not just the session that we did. We're going to do an overview study just to kind of get you to remember some of the things that we studied. I do want to encourage you to take some time to review your notes, you know, to go back and just, you don't have to know it in detail, but just go through it, and then your memory verses that you have, try to do your best to go back and ...

Next week, how many of your groups have not done the snacks? Okay. Raise your hand if your group hasn't done the snacks yet. Okay. If you're doing it today, don't raise your hand. Okay. The ones who haven't done it yet, raise your hand, raise your hand. So we have one, two, whichever, three, four, five, six groups?

Okay. Raise your hand. Let me see how many of you guys are getting. One, two, three, four, five, six groups. Okay. Yeah, I counted you guys, right? All right. So, all of your groups who didn't do it, we'll all do it all at once next week, okay? So, it is our finale.

Yeah. So, it is our finale. So, typically, we only have two groups. So, you guys are triple that, which means it would be, it should be triple the, triple the amount, triple the flavor, triple everything, okay? So, so please come, again, all of you guys could, hey, let me see.

I need to know who you are so that we can better coordinate, so we don't just have all drinks. Can, can one of your groups take charge so that you guys can coordinate what you guys are going to be bringing? Can you raise your hand again? Does somebody want to volunteer?

Nobody's raising, don't put it down. Don't put it down. Any group want to volunteer to coordinate and serve the kingdom of God for His glory? Earn rewards in heaven? Oh, their, their hands went up first, okay, so the glory goes to your group over there. All right. So, can you jot down which groups they are so that you'll know who they are?

So, can you raise your hand if you're one of the groups that's going to be bringing snacks? So, can you guys, can you stand up and see who they are and jot it down? Okay. Raise your hand until they get, they get you. Okay, this group here, up here.

Okay, you got it? There's six groups. You got six groups? Okay. So, if you guys can do us a favor and coordinate, okay? That's for next week. So, next, next week, because it is a review, we're going to spend some extended time worship, praying, and then take extended time fellowship at the end, okay?

And then after that, we're going to take at least three, possibly four weeks off, but right now the plan is to take three weeks off, okay? And then there's some other things that we're working on right now, but we, it's not finalized yet, so we won't let you know.

But we'll let you know as that happens, okay? All right, so let's start. And those of you who are coordinating, if you are facilitating and leading the small group, you're going to be getting an email sometime early next week, just to kind of, you know, asking for some feedback and for some direction for the following week, so just look out for that.

And please, if you see the email coming from me, respond ASAP, okay? The habit is, I get about half of people to respond right away, and the other half take like two to three weeks. So, if you get an email from me, please respond as quickly as you can, okay?

And this is for the small group facilitators. All right, so let's look at Chapter 5065. I doubled up because we had two weeks on Thursday and Friday, so hopefully you had more time to dig. Okay, so if we look at Chapter 65, we're looking at the very end of the book of Isaiah, and he is prophesying about the promise of restoration at the end times.

We said that it could be in the time of the millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ. It could also be talking about the very end, right? So, if you look at Chapter 65, it is a rebuke toward the nation of Israel. So, if you've noticed, Chapter 65 and 66, the tone of it is rebuke, right?

Up to this point, he's been talking about restoration and promise, but he also is reminding the nation of Israel because even though he's prophesying about the end times, Isaiah is prophesying to a specific group of people in a historical context, right? So, during Isaiah's prophecy, what was happening to the nation of Israel?

Do you remember? Those of you guys who were with us, either through any part of the study or in the very beginning of the book of Isaiah? Hmm? They were prospering. What else was happening? What is one sin that kept on being repeated over and over and God seems to keep pointing out?

False religion, right? They were very active, and because they were living in a time of peace, their confidence was in other nations or their wealth or whatever it was that they had, so it wasn't like they were going out and outright worshipping idols. They were very busy worshipping at the temple, but they weren't right with God.

What God was calling for was not superficial worship, but true repentance. And so, up to this point, up to Chapter, remember, Chapter 39 up to this point, it's all promises of God's restoration, right? And then, but at the very end, he comes back into the historical context reminding them, but don't forget, right?

God is not going to sweep their sins just under the rug. Even though he's talking about restoration, they're not off the hook, right? God is going to deal with that. So when he comes, sin is going to be dealt with, but he's also going to be restoring at the same time.

So that's where we are in Chapter 65, where he's talking to, in 65, he says, "I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me. I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me." Who is he referring to? I mean, as in the whole context, it's definitely the nation of Israel.

But the first verse when he says, "I said, 'Here am I, here am I,' to a nation that was not called by my name." So if you look at your sheet, I have the wrong reference there. It says Isaiah 10, 20, 21. It's actually Romans 10, 20, 21, where Paul actually cites this verse.

So turn your Bibles to Romans 10, 20, and 21. And I think it'll kind of maybe shed light on how we ought to understand this text. Romans 10, 20, 21. Can somebody read that out loud? Joseph. Go ahead. Okay. So in Romans 10, 20, and 21, what is verse 1 in reference to?

Gentiles. Right. He's going to open up the kingdom to the Gentiles, people who are not called. They were not privileged like the nation of Israel. But these people, the nation of Israel that God was holding his hand out all this time through the history, they were rebellious. In other words, that the judgment that they deserve is much greater.

Right? So how does he describe these people? He says they are a rebellious people. And I'm just going to highlight a few of them. They walk in a way that is not good. And the way he describes why they're not good is because they follow their own devices. Even in the way they worship God.

Right? They're giving sacrifices, but they're not the things that God was demanding. Remember when I said God does the lights and loyalty rather than sacrifice and then burnt offering. Right? And rather the knowledge of God. That's what God desires. So what they were doing was, well, this part they want to keep to themselves.

They weren't willing to repent, so they were offering all this other stuff. Right? And so this can easily happen where you're in church busy serving God. And then because you're serving God in the church, it kind of somehow excuses all the other stuff that God is demanding. But in the nation of Israel, he's basically saying that you're busy serving me at the temple, but that's not the thing that God desired from them.

They provoke him to his face. How does he do that? How does the nation of Israel do that? They sacrifice in gardens and make offerings on bricks. In other words, they were worshiping God, but not the way that God told them to. Remember, what was the sin of the Northern Kingdom?

Okay, how specifically? Okay, but specifically? What was the… remember when the Southern Kingdom and Northern Kingdom split? There was a particular sin that they brought in from the very beginning. I mean, basically what you said is right, but more specific. No, that was the Southern Kingdom. Right? The Northern Kingdom was where, remember, they were concerned that they were going to come down to Jerusalem to give sacrifices.

So he makes a golden calf worship and say, "This is Yahweh." And then he set up a place of worship outside of Jerusalem. Right? But the Southern Kingdom's problem was they kept on sacrificing in high places. Right? In a place where God did not prescribe. So they would keep on making sacrifices the way they wanted to.

In the name of Yahweh, saying that this is sacrifice for God, but it wasn't at the temple. It wasn't at the altar that God prescribed. Right? So every time, even though they were sacrificing for God, what does God say? Every time they sacrifice, He said, "They are provoking Him." Right?

They're worshiping Him, but their worship is provoking Him. Right? Isn't that what Isaiah says in the beginning? That your sacrifice, your song, they're detestable. You're evil assembly. Right? And it's all done in the name of Yahweh. And yet God, instead of worshiping and being honored, it says God is angered by it.

And now, again, so He starts out in the historical context, remember, in chapter 1, chapter 2? And now He's wrapping up and He's going back to Israel's context. They continue to spend their nights in secret places. They eat pigs. Again, all of these things are things that God said would make them unclean.

Right? And then, again, another thing we wonder how they consider themselves holy. Even though God is calling them to repentance, if they don't see themselves as sinners, what could they repent of? Why didn't they see themselves—why did they see themselves as holy? Because they were busy. They were busy at the temple.

They were busy making sacrifices. So, because they were busy doing God's work, they thought they were holy. And that's what caused them to have hardened hearts. They didn't see themselves like the Gentiles. Right? So, whenever God prescribed repentance and judgment, it's like, yeah, those people. But they didn't see themselves in that place.

And God is saying, this is the very reason why judgment is going to come. So, isn't that interesting? I mean, when you take your time to actually study and then let the Word of God judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart, it's like, people who are in the church are not typically guilty of idol worship.

Right? People who are typically in decent churches are not guilty of prosperity gospel or the false gospel. That's not what we're—that's typically—that's not the danger that is knocking at our door constantly. These are the things that we're—if we're not careful—can easily creep in. Being busy in the things of the Lord.

Right? Being busy giving sacrifices. And so, you kind of get to a point where the Word of God is no longer molding you. And you see every time you read the Word of God, you're always seeing it at the lens of who needs to hear this. Right? So, we're not being transformed.

We're not being sanctified. And so, again, that's where the nation of Israel is. And I think that's why the book of Isaiah is very relevant to our culture, like church culture. Right? What illustration does he use in verse 8? Right? So, if you look at verse 8, it says, "Thus says the Lord, 'As a new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, 'Do not destroy it, for there is blessing in it.' So I will do for My servant's sake and not destroy them all." So, again, over and over again, he talks about a remnant.

And as a result of the remnant, that God will not completely destroy them. Right? What story does that remind you of? Where God says He's angry to the nation of Israel, but He will not destroy them completely because of the remnant. Right? Because of the few righteous. What story does that remind you of?

The wheat and the tares? Somebody said it. Story of Lot, right? Where Abraham is pleading with God, "What if there's 50? What if there's 45? What if there's 40?" And then He kind of brings them down all the way to 10. If there's 10, would you still destroy it?

And He says, "No, no, I wouldn't destroy even 10." So they couldn't even find 10. Right? So this story, again, this thing reminds us of the story of Lot. Where Abraham is pleading, and it says, "God would not destroy the righteous with the unrighteous." He's saying there is still hope for the nation of Israel because of the remnant.

Right? It's not all of Israel, but the remnant. How does He describe the distinction between the servant and those who are rebellious? The remnant and those who are not? "My servants shall eat, but they shall go hungry." So these are the faithful versus the unfaithful. There's not a distinction between the wise and the unwise, the rich and the poor.

There's not a distinction between the talented and the untalented, the hardworking and the not hardworking. This is just a distinction between faithful and unfaithful people. That God's going to feed them, but the unfaithful, they will go hungry. "My servants shall drink, but they shall go thirsty." Right? So what does this tell us?

Right? At the end of the day, our very sustenance is dependent upon His grace. Their food, their drink, their very essence of their joy is in God's hands. So when the nation of Israel was looking for their shalom, to be blessed by God, in the end, God says, "The only way that you're going to have shalom is to be right with God." And that's what this reminds us of.

"But you shall cry for pain, of heart shall wail for breaking the spirit, and shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord will put you to death." Again, all of this is in God's sovereign hands. So above working hard, above investing in the right places, and networking with the right people, the most important thing for any child of God is that he is right with Him.

So if you're not right with Him, it doesn't matter how hard you're working. It doesn't matter what kind of jobs you have, what major you have, and what tests you pass. For a child of God, if you're not right with God, there's nothing more important than to first get right with God.

Because the very essence of our food, our drink, our joy, our life, is in God's sovereign hands. And that's what God is telling the nation of Israel. The Lord promises in chapter 65, 17, to create a new heaven and a new earth. What is the difference between the two, if there is any?

What is this in description of? The new heaven and new earth, if you again study through the... We can make the distinction and say, well, the heaven is the unseen, and the earth is the seen. The material and the immaterial, right? Or this life or the afterlife. But generally speaking, new heaven and new earth basically is talking about all of God's creation.

Seen and unseen. Physical and material. So, totality of creation. So, in other words, everything that went wrong at the fall is going to be restored at the end. Everything is going to be made new. Not just a portion, not just a part, but everything. So, that's what he means in chapter 65, verse 17.

We see this again in 2 Peter 3, 13. Can somebody turn your Bible to 2 Peter 3, 13? If you're there, can you just read it out loud for us? And then, if we can have somebody else turn their Bible to Revelations 21, 1. Who's there? Okay. >> I'm 2 Peter 3, 13.

But according to the promise, we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, to establish righteousness for all. >> Okay. So, again, Peter encourages the readers about the promise of the new heaven and a new earth as the motivation for why we ought to persevere through suffering, why we ought to live and pursue righteousness.

Right? Revelation 21, 1. Okay. >> That I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. The sea was no more. >> Okay. So, again, if you look at the end of the book of Revelation, the final state of human history is going to be the promise of a new heaven and a new earth.

Right? So, everything that you and I know that has gone wrong, God is going to restore what He intended and He's going to make it even better. And so, when it talks about a new heaven and a new earth, it's always a promise of complete restoration. Right? What is the description of the new heaven and a new earth?

That was the second question. One of the first things it mentions in verse 20 is that infant will not die early and old men will live a long life. I mean, considering the context, you know, of last weekend, you know, I can't help but to think about, you know, how, you know, when we're reading this text, and the promise from scripture that all of these horrendous things that human experience, and that's not the only thing, but obviously that, you know, hardship, suffering, pain, cancer, all of these things are results of a living in a fallen world.

Right? And so, there's a cloud of darkness that hovers over all mankind. And you and I, even though we've been delivered spiritually, we're not home yet. Right? So, because we're not home, we also experience all of this. And so, he says that at the end, when he comes and he restores everything, it means all of these things, all of these things that we've suffered, all of these things that we watch other people suffering, all of these things, he's going to wipe away.

Right? So, you know, the hope that we have for mankind is that no matter how bad it is, it's temporary. It's not permanent. And that's the hope that we have in Christ. No matter, you can imagine the worst possible scenario, the most painful thing you can possibly experience on this earth, but at the end of the day, it's temporary.

Right? It's momentary. Because when he comes, he says he's going to wipe away all of this stuff. People will enjoy fruits of their labor. And that's one of the things... Sorry to interrupt, but the new heaven and new earth, are we going to be on the new heaven or new earth?

But here's what I mean. When I speak to Jehovah Witness, I ask, you know, if you're not part of the 144,000, then why are you a Jehovah Witness? They're like the 144,000 are part of the new heaven, the new Jesus, and we good Jehovah Witness get to be on the new earth, which is called paradise earth.

So, their hope is to make it to the new earth. So, we as Christians obviously don't believe that, but how do you explain the new heaven, new earth? I don't understand the whole totality of creation. Is it like new heaven, new earth? Is it two separate places where us Christians can have peace?

New heaven and new earth, again, it depends on the context, but most of the time when the Bible describes new heaven and new earth, I don't think it's meant to be dissected as what is earth and what is, you know, what is new earth, what is new heaven. It's talking about material and immaterial, all the God of heaven, earth, and under the earth, right?

He's talking about God is sovereign over everything, all of creation, things that you know, things that you don't know. So, when he's talking about new heaven and new earth, he's not saying that he's just going to make the earth new, he's saying that everything that you know that exists is going to be renewed.

So, we can sit there and kind of like, well, there's a new heaven looks like this, a new earth looks like that. I mean, there is a millennial kingdom that, again, I don't want to get into tonight, but I don't think, at least in this context, that the reference is talking about, you know, this new heaven looks going to look like this and new earth is going to look like this.

It's just in reference to all things. Instead of saying all things, he just says new heaven and new earth. But in the eternal state of the new heaven and new earth, there will be no more death, right? So, if there is an infant that will not die early, I mean, I'm really correct that there will be some death.

Yeah, okay. Good. You're paying attention. I didn't open up the can of worms because I didn't want to get into the millennial. I just said the end times because I'm just kind of lumping it all together. So, if you look at it, like, if we start dissecting and say, well, this is a description of after the great white throne judgment and then we're in eternity.

So, if you read the commentaries, some of the commentaries, Douglas Moo believed that the initial part of it is in reference to eternity and then he gets back into talking about the description of the millennium. Okay, so I don't want to get too deep into that because then we're going to go into why does he believe this and dissect the words and I don't want to, I'm just going to leave it at this is the end times.

Okay, but that's a good question. We can talk more about it later. Really, we're getting stuck on this, alright? One more question. So, the text actually says new heavens and you know how Genesis 1, chapter 1, verse 1 says that the angel God created heavens and new earth. So, heavens, plural, I'm curious.

Are there more than one heavens? Is that the question? We can talk about all of them, but yeah, just noticing that it's heavens. Okay, well, I don't know about that particular reference, but if you look at the description of Yahweh, Elohim, it's in plural and it's not in singular.

And the reason why it's in plural is that in the ancient nearest writings, it wasn't because there were like a lot of people look at that and say, "Oh, that's a reference to the Trinity." It actually was common outside of the Jewish writings. They would do that to show respect, right?

Or for the purpose of emphasis. So, I don't know about that particular text, but it could just be for the purpose of emphasis that all heavens, all the earth, right? Not necessarily like multiple heavens or multiple earths. Just talking about the totality of everything. Pastor Peter? Yes, we're going to, okay.

I was trying so hard to move on. All right. Just one last thing, and it's not really a question, but more to your comment there. You know, without going into all the details, isn't it true that as it relates to the end times, some of the things that Jehovah's Witnesses believe, it's not that different than actually what we believe.

You know, there's a lot of differences in obviously what they believe about Jesus Christ, but in terms of the new heavens and the new earth, there's actually a lot of similarities. Yeah, I mean, we believe in a new heaven. I mean, it depends if you're a dispensationalist. Yeah, non-dispensationalists will disagree with that.

But their difference is they believe that only a hundred, for literal 144,000 people are going to enter, and you have to earn your way into that. And so they don't know if they're going to earn it. They believe that they have the best chance. Well, the 144 is already in the new heaven ruling, which is, it stopped like 1921 or 1914, whenever it was.

Their hope now is to get to the new earth, which is what they call paradise earth. And I'm here wondering as a Christian, where am I going to be? Am I going to be in a new heaven, a new earth? And then your answer was, new heavens, new earth is the final state of mind for me, instead of me just, how did you come to that versus like...

I don't think there's a need to make that distinction, because everyone who is genuinely in the new earth is going to be in the new heavens. So you're saying like, some people go to new heaven, some people go to new earth. That is not the Christian teaching. Okay? So if you're making a distinction between a millennium and the eternal state, the people who are entering into millennium is because they are Christians, and they are under a physical rule of Christ, or in that thousand year reign of Christ under the Israelites.

But when that thing ends, everybody who is a genuine Christian in the thousand year reign will also enter into the new heaven. So there is no distinction like some go to new heaven, some go to new earth, and that's the final state. That's not the final state. The millennium is not the final state.

A thousand year reign of Christ. So when the Bible says after death comes judgment, like if I die tonight, just here is where we'll be? Just floating somewhere? Is this offline? Yeah, I mean, let me say this, and then we'll move on. I don't want to just get stuck here.

Okay? We take the Bible literally, so when the Bible says to be absent in the body is to be present with Christ, and we know that that's exactly what's going to happen. But at the same time, when we die, the concept of, like, am I here or over there?

Right? That's people who are limited, finite, in their physical body. Right? God is eternal. So is he here today or tomorrow or yesterday? The answer is yes. Right? So we're thinking, like, if I die, will I be with him then? When Jesus is same yesterday, today, and forever. He's outside of time.

So we're trying to apply how you and I understand life in the context of the life that we're going to have eternity with him. In past, present, and future. So it's not, anything that we say about what the eternal life is going to look like, it's going to be a philosophical question.

Right? Theologically, we say yes, that's what's going to happen. Well, how does, what does that look like? Then we start thinking about, philosophically, how do we understand that? Right? We can leave it at that. Alright, so let me move on. We can talk more about it in person, okay?

Mmm. It's punishing us for not moving. Alright? Is it this? No, it's because he did it. You know, I think the battery for this is dead. Sorry. No, he did it. Okay, well, you guys can fill that in, or we can change the battery for this. It's the AAA.

Thanks, Brian. Alright, thank you. No, just two, thank you. Tell me which is positive, I can't see it. That's the top. Okay. Alright, so in the new heaven and new earth, he said the Lord will know what they will need and answer even before they call. Right? And again, part of the reason why there is frustration, even in our daily prayer of life, is, again, part of it is, we're not intimately with the Lord.

Right? We're here, not yet. So just like we have this physical body that we have to wrestle through, and one day we're going to be delivered, and we're going to be seeing him face to face, and so when that happens, even in our prayers, we say he's going to know us so intimately, we're going to know him so intimately, he won't answer.

Right? So, it's interesting that part of living in a fallen world is that even our prayer life, even our intimacy with him isn't going to be exactly what it ought to be in eternity. And ultimately, there's going to be peace. If you look at verse 1, chapter 66, verse 1, it says, "Thus says the Lord, 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.

What is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?'" So, in context of verse 1 and 2, what is he saying? I mean, God has the throne, his throne on earth, and the earth is his footstool. What can you possibly add that he doesn't already have?

Right? So, basically, what he's telling the nation of Israel is, "You're working hard to do all of these things, but at the end of the day, he owns everything. The earth itself is his footstool." So, how can you possibly think that what God needs is your effort, is your strength, your money?

Right? What God wants is not looking for talent, he's not looking for ability. Right? He says he's looking for a humble and contrite heart, broken people, a vessel that he could wield and use for his purpose. So, the best thing that we can offer up to him is a life that's easily moldable, obedient.

When he says, "Left, go left." When he says, "Right, go right." Right? Humble and submitted, so that if he's a potter and we're the clay, the best thing we can offer up to him is a clay that's easily moldable. Right? You come to him like, "Well, you know, I'm going to be useful for this." And he says, "Well, how can you possibly add the earth is my footstool?" And that was the problem with the nation of Israel.

In their pride, they were coming before Yahweh and saying, "We're doing all of this for you." Right? "Why aren't you answering our prayers? Why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you doing that?" He said, "But in reality, what God is looking for is a broken and contrite heart." How does God look at sacrifices?

Those who give false sacrifices and worship are no different than any other murderer or idol worshippers. Verse 3, "He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man. He who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck. He who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood." All of these things are, again, in some form, an act of worship, and yet God says, "That's not worship.

You're just killing animals. You're like a murderer." He says that there's going to be such delusion in false worship that those who persecute the righteous will do it claiming that they are glorifying God. Verse 5, "Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word. Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for My name's sake have said, 'Let the Lord be glorified that we may see your joy, but it is they who shall be put to shame.'" What does that sound like?

The Jewish leaders, right, who crucified Christ, thinking that they're doing God a favor. So think about just how hardened and just how fallen that they were, that they're crucifying the Son of God, and they're all doing it in the name of Yahweh. And that's exactly what God says, that they're going to be so delusional in where they stand before God, and yet they created this hierarchy of who's right with God and who's not, and who's righteous and who's not.

And when the true Messiah comes, they're completely off. They weren't just simply out of order. They didn't just get, you know, you had the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees, and say, "You know what? You have a few people who are not in the right place." Right? He didn't just come and just kind of reorganize.

He came and looked at the whole system, and He said, "Everybody on this row, everybody who's pursuing this, you guys are all wrong. They were the ones blaspheming His name." Right? Everybody that they looked up to, the teachers, the scribes, the Pharisees, the leaders of Israel, they were the ones who were blaspheming the name of God.

So they weren't just a little bit off. They completely, from beginning to the end. And then they crucify the Messiah that they've been preaching and teaching for hundreds of years, and they all did it saying that they're glorifying God. That's how delusional they were. Again, that's why I think false worship is so dangerous.

That's why sometimes I think the people who are the most delusional are religious people who don't have a personal relationship with Christ. People who are in the church, who've heard the gospel, who go through the motion, and do all of that stuff, and they don't have a personal relationship with Christ.

Because we kind of feel like we're on the boat that's safe. At least the non-Christians know. They don't believe, and they know where they stand, whether they believe or don't believe. But the people who are, I think the biggest tragedy will be in the church, who think that they're going to be meeting their Savior, and realize at the end that they're going to be in the wrong line.

They're in the judgment line. Right? And that's what He's warning the nation of Israel. What are they referring to? He goes into this elaborate description in verse 7, "Before she was in labor, she gave birth. Before her pain came upon her, she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing?

Who has seen such a thing?" In other words, that this lady was pregnant, and all of a sudden, she's going to give birth. Verse 9, "Shall I bring to the point of birth, and not cause to bring forth?" In other words, God has been working through history, and He didn't set all of this up to just at the end, just kind of forget it, and sweep it under the rug.

Whether it was for the salvation of Israel, salvation of His people, or for their judgment. God has been carefully orchestrating all of this to fulfill His purpose. He's not going to bring it up to that point, and then just say, "Forget it." Right? So that's what He's referring to.

He said, "Shall I impregnate the history of mankind, and at the end just kind of forget it?" In other words, everything that He has said, He's going to fulfill. Everything. How does He describe His second coming? "To those who justify themselves, those are the ones who will not be justified." Verse 17, "Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pigs' flesh and abomination, and mice shall come to an end together, declares the Lord." They will not be justified.

Those who stand before God and feeling like they don't need to be justified, they are the ones who are going to be guilty. So what does this mean? The only way to be justified before God is to recognize our sin and repent. To receive the forgiveness of God. And obviously all of this is in preparation for the coming Messiah.

So imagine if you're reading this and saying, "Those who justify themselves, the judgment is coming." Then how do we get justified? That's the big question that they should have had. If all this religious worship and all of these things, if this doesn't justify us, then what's going to justify us?

Almost like a mystery. And that's what Paul says, right? The mystery of the Gospel was revealed in Christ. That He kind of took us to that point and kind of like, "Well, He's coming. Well, what is He going to do?" He's going to justify our sins. "And all the nations will gather together and see His glory." In other words, His promises that He's making to the Kingdom of Israel is going to be opened up to the rest of the world.

And it's the Gentiles that will be the ones declaring His glory. And then eventually God's going to use them to bring Israel back. We've been studying through the book of Romans. We're almost there. We're not quite there yet. But when we get to chapter 9, this is exactly what He's going to fulfill.

Romans chapter 9, 10, and 11 is the fulfillment of this particular passage. There's going to be a hardening of the heart of Israel momentarily. And then we're living right now in the period of the Gentiles, the Church Age. But when that period is full, He said that Israel is going to be regrafted in.

So this is what that is in reference to. So right now, it's not the Jews. It's not the literal people of God or the nation of Israel. But the Gentiles are the ones building the churches. But eventually, through the Gentiles, revival is going to break out in the nation of Israel.

And they're going to be brought back. So that's what that passage is. And Romans chapter 9, 10, and 11 describes this in detail. And what is the ultimate purpose of this restoration? They're all going to come and worship Him. That's the end product. Worship. Worship is the final purpose.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That's what has gone wrong. Instead of giving glory to God, instead of seeking His glory, instead of worshipping His glory, even at our best, we're always wrestling with our glory and His glory. Our will and His will. And that's, again, it's a description of the fall of mankind.

At the end, when God restores, He's going to bring everybody back. For what purpose? To come and worship. He's going to reveal His glory that we've fallen short of. But when we are in the presence of His full glory, we're going to break up into worship. So, it's just, right now, we wrestle with smaller worship.

You know, competing worship. Whether it's sports or whatever it is that we get wrapped up in. Again, none of this stuff is necessarily wrong. But if we're not careful, it can compete with God's glory. It can compete with His worship. But He says, at the end, when His glory is fully revealed, there's going to be no competition.

All the nations are going to come. What we're going to be doing in eternity is to give Him worship. So, if you don't know the ecstasy of really, truly worshipping God, and your idea of worship is singing hymns, clapping, you know what I mean? It's just boring. There's nothing to look forward to in eternity.

But I think every Christian knows. Every genuine Christian knows. Because what a Christian is, is somebody who's seen the glory of Christ. Right? That's what a Christian is. And that's why you repent, and that's why you come to church. Hopefully. Right? So, a genuine believer is one who has seen the glory of Christ, and now desires that for the rest of eternity.

So, a non-Christian, I don't care what he says, I don't care how much he knows, if they haven't tasted the goodness of God, they have not seen His glory, none of these things are going to be attractive to you. None of these things. Promise of gathering of all the nations for the purpose of worshipping God, when worshipping God today is not attractive, why would this be attractive?

Why would a greater revelation of His glory be attractive to a non-Christian? Heaven wouldn't be attractive to a non-Christian. Right? It would only be attractive to somebody who's tasted and seen a glimpse of His glory. I think for every Christian, again as we wrap up, for every Christian, the hungering and thirsting that we have inside of our hearts isn't for meaning.

Right? Isn't for relationships. Isn't for safety and peace. In my opinion, it's not even love. I don't think that that's at the core of who we are, and that's what drives us. Because we were created for the purpose of glorifying Christ, glorifying God. That's at the core of our basic needs.

Remember, we hear things, cliche things like, every human being has a God-shaped heart that only God can fill. And I believe that that is the case. But that God-shaped heart, God-shaped place, whatever it is that mankind has fallen short of, is a place that is reserved for His glory.

Right? So, again, to attract people to the church with anything else other than a greater revelation of His glory is a lie. Because that's not what God promises. God doesn't promise a purpose and safety. In fact, sometimes God will cause you not to have safety for the purpose of weeding things out, so that you can have a greater glimpse of His glory.

Right? In fact, sometimes you will feel rejected and unloved, so that you can see that there's only one place and one person that will give you true meaning. So God didn't promise all of that. God didn't promise friendship. God didn't promise safety. God didn't promise a good job. Right?

So, whether it's us, whether it's us preaching the gospel, or whether it's the church as a whole, if we promise anything else, if we do anything else in the church other than a greater revelation of His glory, then the church is not representing what God represents in the scripture.

I think a Christian who is going to persevere is a person who is fixated on the coming of Christ and His glory, and hungering and thirsting, that can only be satisfied when you meet Him. Right? When you meet Christ. And if that's what's driving you, that's what's going to cause you to persevere.

But if that's not what's driving you, at some point, your disappointment in church and people's circumstance is going to cause you to look for it somewhere else. But again, as we wrap up the book of Isaiah, we'll do a final study next week. At the end of the human history, this is what God promises.

Right? Look at the book of Revelation. The end times is all the nations gathering at His throne, worshiping, bowing down, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty." That's what we're going to be doing for eternity. Right? And so that's why we have quiet time. That's why we encourage you to get into the Bible.

It's not so that good Christians read the Bible. The Word of God contains revelation of His glory. So the more you get a glimpse of His glory, there's going to be a greater hungering and thirsting for that glory. And that's what causes you to seek Him out. Right? So quiet time is not about, like, "I did it" or "I didn't do it." Getting bits and pieces, getting a taste of who He is, every single day, that causes you to continue to seek Him out.

All right. So again, next week we're going to wrap up the study. You know, every song I sing, I just assume you guys know because it's been around for 30 years.