Pastor Joe's Blog

September
22 2019
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Isaiah part 16: The Second Cycle of Oracles - The Valley of Vision (Jerusalem): the unforgivable sin (chapter 22)

In the first cycle the microscope fell on the Northern Kingdom of Israel and their Syrian alliance, in this cycle the microscope falls on Judah, the Southern Kingdom, and the same bacteria is found - faith is abandoned for the quest of self-reliance. The people of God surrender to the pressure of the surrounding world. In chapter 22, three oracles (Jerusalem, Shebna, and Eliakim) repeat the...
September
06 2019
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Isaiah part 15: The second cycle of oracles - the world in the shadows (chapters 21-23)

Chapters 1-5 are a preface dealing with Judah - it’s diagnosis and prognosis - and deals with sin in the face of experience, election,...
August
06 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 14; chapter 19-20 (One God, One World, One People)

In the last oracle, Isa 17-18, we found a vision of a remnant of both Israel and Gentiles drawn to the Lord in Zion.   Isa 17:3 "The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, And sovereignty from Damascus ...
August
06 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 13; chapter 17-18: The Oracle of Syria (Damascus) and Ephraim (Who rules the world and whose will is accomplished?)

Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom of Israel) makes his first appearance in the oracles of chapters 13-20, but he is not presented strong and independent as he should be as a son of God. He walks on to the prophet’s stage arm-in-arm in adultery with Syria with whom he is destined to be destroyed. Ephraim sought security in an unholy alliance with Syria while the Lord shouted at him to take...
June
29 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 12; chapters 15-16 The Oracle of Moab - Pride Comes Before a Fall

The thematic development of the oracles within chapters 13-27 continue. In this section we will explore the prophecy concerning Moab and the conditions of the Gentile hope. The Moab prophecy corrects any impression that the hope of the Davidic promises are exclusive to Jews alone. Isaiah now says that the promises which will be fulfilled for David in Zion are...
June
09 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 10; Chapters 13-14 in Overview

Israel in world history: Chapters 6-12 painted a Zion centered picture of history. Chapters 13-27 seek to justify this picture in the actual historical situation of world history. The world history of this section merges forward to the prophecies of the end of world history, the coming Day of the Lord and the Millennium of Christ that caps it....
May
24 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 9; chapters 13-14: The Burden of Babylon

The Book of Isaiah is built around three Messianic portraits: the King (chapters 1-37), the Servant (chapters 38-55), and the Anointed Conqueror (chapters 56-66). We continue on looking at the portrait of the King. In this section, the King is going to judge the Gentile nations. Our prophet makes a significant change in his prophetic verses in...
May
09 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 8; Chapters 11-12: The Millennial Peace of Christ

In chapter ten Assyria destroyed Israel, but the promise was that Israel would be delivered in the end from all her enemies. And now before us we have the peaceful reign of Him who is the Rod out of Jesse’s stem, the Branch of the Lord who is to bring all things into subjection to God and rule with the iron rod of inflexible righteousness. In...
April
25 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 7; chapter 10: Judgment of Israel and Assyria, the Tribulation, and Armageddon.

Isaiah chapter 7-12 contains of series of prophecies given during the reign of Ahaz, an evil king. Ahaz faced a grave threat from an alliance of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Syria, and rather than appeal to Yavah for help, he sought support from the king of Assyria - only to find later on that this covetous ruler had ever only been interested in the complete conquest of all of...
April
11 2019
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The Prophet Series: Isaiah part 6; chapter 9: A Son will be born to us

Review: Chapters 1 and 2 are a unit. Ritual is not knowing worshipping God (chap. 1) and the unbelieving will miss something spectacular (chap. 2), which is Israel’s future. Chapters 2 through 5 are a unit. Warning against being a fool; signs of spiritual sickness; a very short summary of the...
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