Immediate, Near, and Future Prophecy

 

Isa 1:23 Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

 24 Therefore the Lord says, The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, "Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, And take vengeance on My enemies.

 25 I will turn My hand against you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy.(Immediate prophecy)

 26 I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."

 27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, And her penitents with righteousness. (Near Future Prophecy - the Arrival of Jesus)

 28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

 29 For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees Which you have desired; And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens Which you have chosen.

 30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, And as a garden that has no water.

 31 The strong shall be as tinder, And the work of it as a spark; Both will burn together, And no one shall quench them. (Far Future Prophecy...the End)

 

He’s not called a prophet for nothing! Here Isaiah speaks of immediate judgment of Judah, then he speaks of the era of the coming Christ, and finally of the end times!

The leaders of Isaiah’s day are running the government on a system of bribes, and the fatherless and the widow are left to fend for themselves. I don’t want to get political, but it seems very close to our present system of lobbyists in the United States. Money wags the tail of our government and since the widows and fatherless have none, they are left out in the cold. In verses 23-25, he speaks of the immediate judgment of these greedy leaders.

Then in verses 26 and 27 we read of a time of restoration. This would be the coming of Christ. He would set up judges (let’s call them the Apostles) and His church would be populated by the penitent redeemed and once again become a beacon of righteousness, justice, and faithfulness to God.

 

Then in verses 28 thru 31 we read of the final judgment when Jesus will return and exact judgment on all those who reject Him. (Those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed! Fire and eternal damnation awaits them. No one shall quench them.

 

Isaiah is a prophet and prophets both warn of judgment, and call people to repentance. He who has ears, let him hear. Turn to Jesus and escape the judgment to come! For He has said through His prophet Isaiah: And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.