Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Q: How does this final request apply to believers in general? Behold, look now, all of us are Your A: a picture of someone who has reached rock bottom and finally It’s people. turns back to God. Whereas such a situation might be permanent and 10Your holy cities have become a unaddressable for non-believers who never come to such a realization, wilderness, for believers God is always able to bring them back. Think of the example Zion has become a wilderness, of Job from whom everything was taken but ultimately restored. Jerusalem a desolation. 11Our holy and beautiful house, Q: How does this final request apply to literal Israel specifically? Where our fathers praised You, A: The real sign of the Last Days is not merely the physical return to the Has been burned by fire; land of Israel, but the spiritual return of Jews to their Messiah. God’s And all our precious things have become repeated promise throughout Scripture is that when they return to Him a ruin. from the heart and only from the heart will He completely restore the 12Will You restrain Yourself at these physical things such as the Temple, Jerusalem, and the nation. God is things, O Lord? not through with literal Israel yet. Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure? Overall Application In terms of the Second Coming, the same work of the God of Israel is going to work differently for believers versus non-believers. For one it is destruction and final judgment, for the other it is reward and salvation. For the Israel of God, that is those who are properly and exclusively devoted to His Word and ways alone, the events of this life are intended to change them from intrinsically rebellious to consistently faithful. In this way they are properly prepared when the dual-edged sword of His Second Coming arrives. And in the mean time it serves to draw non-believers to Him as they witness what He does through us.
Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Behold, look now, all of us are Your people. 10Your holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11Our holy and beautiful house, Where our fathers praised You, Has been burned by fire; And all our precious things have become a ruin. 12Will You restrain Yourself at these things, O Lord? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure? Q: How does this final request apply to believers in general? A: It’s a picture of someone who has reached rock bottom and finally turns back to God. Whereas such a situation might be permanent and unaddressable for non-believers who never come to such a realization, for believers God is always able to bring them back. Think of the example of Job from whom everything was taken but ultimately restored. Q: How does this final request apply to literal Israel specifically? A: The real sign of the Last Days is not merely the physical return to the land of Israel, but the spiritual return of Jews to their Messiah. God’s repeated promise throughout Scripture is that when they return to Him from the heart and only from the heart will He completely restore the physical things such as the Temple, Jerusalem, and the nation. God is not through with literal Israel yet. Overall Application In terms of the Second Coming, the same work of the God of Israel is going to work differently for believers versus non-believers. For one it is destruction and final judgment, for the other it is reward and salvation. For the Israel of God, that is those who are properly and exclusively devoted to His Word and ways alone, the events of this life are intended to change them from intrinsically rebellious to consistently faithful. In this way they are properly prepared when the dual-edged sword of His Second Coming arrives. And in the mean time it serves to draw non-believers to Him as they witness what He does through us.
23_Isaiah_63-64_Study_Notes.docx