Today Isaiah announces God’s ultimate judgement against the nations. “For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, and His fury against all their armies.” “For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance.” The Lord has a set date for when he will deal with all evil in the world. Jesus will later say “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21). His judgement will be against the people and the land. (This time is described in more detail at the end of the Story in the Book of Revelation.)
Isaiah declares that his prophesy is true and will absolutely happen. “Search from the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these shall fail.” That is why Jesus will later say “For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:35-36).
Isaiah also speaks of Jesus’s first coming. He says the blind will see, deaf will hear, lame will walk, and dumb will sing. Later in the Story when John the Baptist is sitting in prison wondering if Jesus is truly the Messiah, Jesus will say “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:4-5). When John the Baptist hears that Jesus is doing all that Isaiah prophesied, he knows that Jesus is the Christ!
Isaiah says “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness…But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads.” Jesus is the Highway of Holiness. He will later declare “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Today we also hear from Micah who declares judgement against Judah for their wicked leaders and false prophets. He too calls out Jerusalem for their false sense of security: “…you say to those who prophesy…they shall not prophesy to you…you who are named the house of Jacob”. The people believe they are exempt from judgment bc of their heritage and the proximity of the temple.
Micah tells them that Babylon will invade them and take them off into captivity but the Lord would eventually deliver them. “And to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; There the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.”
We end the reading with Micah speaking of the coming Messiah. The One God destined to send to save us since the beginning. ”But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” “Then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall abide, For now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and this One shall be peace.”
Jesus is coming and He will be born in a barn in Bethlehem just as the Lord planned all along. Keep reading.
(Isaiah 34:1-35:10, Micah 2:1-5:15)
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Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 