ISAIAH 61

ISAIAH 61

THE BEGINNING OF THE HARVEST

About 2000 years ago, Jesus stood and read a portion of this chapter in a public gathering, and told the people, “this day is this scripture fulfilled.”

He also told the people on other occasions that, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

It is my personal belief that Isaiah was describing conditions in the Church (The ISRAEL OF GOD) immediately prior to the three last Feasts in the Levitical Year of the Old Testament Ceremonies. Namely, they were the Blowing of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Harvest Ingathering).

The Levitical year was a seven-month (Lunar) “year-within-a-year” (Solar) that contained seven “Feasts” that were pantomime prophecies of seven main demonstrations of God’s Power in the Church during its existence. The first four, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Pentecost, are now history. Three remain to be fulfilled by Jesus

The statements from this chapter that Jesus applied to Himself are also applicable to the Church in general, but especially to the group of believers whom the Lord classifies as “Overcomers.”

It must be noted that when Jesus read the passage, He stopped short of completing the statement of Isaiah. Jesus stopped before He mentioned “the day of vengeance of our God. That phase seems to have been reserved for this time in which we live.

I believe that we should also point out that God does not seem to be angry with PEOPLE as much as with what they have produced by their efforts to control others, and to gain more wealth and power for themselves.

It must be noted that the Day of Vengeance is also the Day of Good Tidings to the True Church of the Living God.

The Vengeance of the Lord will be directed at the giant Corporations of the World (Kosmos—“organized social order”). This will include BOTH economic and ecclesiastic organizations which exercise Rule and Authority over the masses of humans on the earth.

That tendency is bad wherever it is found, but it is ESPECIALLY BAD IN THE MIDST OF THE CHURCH. Nevertheless, it has reared its ugly head in that realm where it should be shunned with the greatest disdain. God is disturbed by it, and is intent on rooting it out by some means.

Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year (year of delight) of the LORD, and the day of vengeance (revenge) of our God; to comfort (console) all that mourn (lament);

Ø Isa 63:4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, AND the year of my redeemed is come. (They are linked together)

Ø Isa 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Ø Isa 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.

Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in ZION, (OVERCOMERS) to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Isa 61:4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

The former GLORY of the FIRST CHURCH WILL BE RESTORED when the Lord’s time of RESTORATION comes. Those Christians who now lament the present conditions in the Church will then happily rejoice.

Believe me, the different strata’s of Christian Society will be obliterated by the force of the Spirit of God before the Lord is finished with His People, the ISRAEL OF
GOD, the HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM.

I do not claim to have all the answers, but humbly submit to you that there seems to have been many mistakes in interpreting Scriptures early on in the history of the Church. It would seem that in less than ten years after John wrote his vision of Patmos, men were striving over the “catching up” would be before or after the “tribulation”. And categories of official status were beginning to emerge.

Isa 61:5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
Isa 61:6 But ye (NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH) shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
Isa 61:7 For your shame (Over 750 years of wandering, divorcement and desolation) ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land (within the Church) they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

The Lord is developing a “people within a people” through whom He can demonstrate HIS ABILITIES. Righteousness, Truth and Equity SHALL PREVAIL.

Isa 61:8 For I the LORD love judgment (PROPER EVALUATION), I hate robbery (seizing by violence Mat 11:12) for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth (stability), and I will make an everlasting (eternal, from the dwelling place of God) covenant with them.

Ø Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Ø Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant (temporal, earthly) that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Ø Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law (NATURE) in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Isa 61:9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed (of Abraham) which the LORD hath blessed.

There are many people who claim to be the “seed of Abraham”, who DID actually come from his loins. He was father to Ishmael, by Hagar, and fathered six more boys by a second wife after the death of Sarah. However, The Lord made it plain that he would recognize only ONE of them as being the rightful heir of the COVENANT OF PROMISE.

Ø Gen 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Ø Rom 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Ø Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

Ø Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Ø 1Ch 5:1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
Ø 1Ch 5:2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; BUT THE BIRTHRIGHT WAS JOSEPH'S:)

Ø Gen 48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
Ø Gen 48:15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
Ø Gen 48:16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for HE hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, HE hath covered me with THE ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

God is, however, more than a match for anything that stumbling man can do, and WILL bring order out of the chaos. The assigned task of the Lord Jesus WILL be accomplished through His Anointed followers.

Isa 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Ø Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Ø Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Ø Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Ø Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, BUT OF GOD THAT SHOWETH MERCY.

The BEST IS YET TO COME. The Lord WILL show Mercy to His People. They WILL experience the GLORY OF GOD in their midst, though NOT BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT.

IT IS THE HERITAGE of ABRAHAM.

Ø Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, BUT THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH.
Ø Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

Ø Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but GOD GAVE IT TO ABRAHAM BY PROMISE.